Histories, Mysteries, and Gifts
by Me And Not You 1001
Summary: Naruto, along with many others, die in the Fourth Shinobi War. The Sage of Six Paths still needs someone to host the nine-tails and be the meeting place for all the tailed-beasts. Hinata steps up and offers herself, saying she will hold to Naruto's beliefs and would like to do what he was unable to. However, things to not go as expected, when does it ever. See full summary inside.
1. Heavy Hearts and Hated Beauty

Summary: Naruto, along with many others, die in the Fourth Shinobi War. The Sage of Six Paths still needs someone to host the nine-tails and be the meeting place for all the tailed-beasts. Hinata steps up and offers herself, saying she will hold to Naruto's beliefs and would like to do what he was unable to. However, things to not go as expected, when does it ever. See full summary inside.

Hinata, due to her unhappiness and inability to save/help her friends, is taken back into the past during the end of the Third Shinobi War. It is Hinata's chance to change the lives of everyone she loves and lost. Can Hinata get the entire Shinobi world to end their war and work together? Or is she going to fail, causing more problems than she solved? And what goes wrong…because something always, ALWAYS goes wrong.

Find out, with a Fox that enjoys running commentary, an Eight-tailed Ox that rhymes, a flying Beetle that sings nonstop, a Slug who's only spoken language is sarcasm, a Horse with too much energy, an Ape with anger issues, a Turtle that blows raspberries, a Cat that only ever sleeps, and a Raccoon that always has to one-up the Fox.

Warning: mentioned character deaths (in the beginning), canon characters may seem a bit out of character (Circumstances and I'm not perfect), absence of prominent Shippuden characters (for now), Naruto does not remain out of the story permanently…I repeat: Naruto's lack of appearance isn't permanent.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 Heavy Hearts and Hated Beauty**

* * *

 **Quote 1: Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. -Norman Cousins**

 **Time Rule 1: Once the Traveler has gone back in time, they will live in that time forever.**  
 **(Once a Traveler has traveled once, it is impossible to travel again. The stress of the Universe having to reWeave the Traveler's existence, is too great to repeat. The Traveler would die due to the stress of being reWoven, again.)**

* * *

Hinata sighed in content, a smile on her face, her eyes closed. She lay on the cool grass in the park, the sun bathing her in warmth. It was nice to not be fighting, worrying about friends, or having the troubles of being the daughter of a Clan Head.

The day would be perfect. Keyword: would. So many lives had been lost, during the war. More than ever expected and yet…the ones lost were the ones that were the most likely to survive.

Neji…Ino…Kiba…Naruto…None of the Konoha rookie teams had their original three members. Their jonin-sensei's…Gai-sensei was damaged beyond compare, Asuma-sensei was gone, Kurenai-sensei just had her baby, the only one left in fighting order was Kakashi-sensei, he was Hokage now.

 _You know, Kit, you shouldn't think about the past._ The smooth deep voice of Kurama echoed in the back of her mind. _There's nothing you can do about it._

Hinata sighed, allowing herself to sink deep into her mindscape, until she came to the enormous cell that held the Nine-tailed Fox Beast. Based off his comments, it looked a great deal like the one Naruto had held him in, except that nearly the entire time Kurama had been in Naruto, the cell had been sealed. Kurama was not sealed in Hinata, but was there by choice, thus the golden gates were wide open.

The Fox was lounging on the floor, his head in his arms, his eyes closed.

"I know that, Kurama-sama, but it's hard not to think about them. It hurts so much." The young Hyuga argued, sitting down in front of him, with her legs crossed.

One great golden eye opened, to regard her for a moment, before it closed again. " _Sorry to break it to you, Kit, but the pain never goes away, and things are always changing, whether we want them to or not."_

Hinata sighed, looked down, never noticing when the Fox opened both eyes, to study her. "I know that as well. It doesn't change my feelings. I know the pain won't go away, but maybe, eventually, it will dull. I'm hoping, eventually I can think past them, stop seeing them everywhere I go. But for now, I just need to get used to the fact that they will never come home."

Hinata didn't mean too, but tears began to pour from her pearly eyes. "I-i-it's…so str-str-strange, not to have Neji-nii-san to practice with. I'll ne-never see Kiba-k-kun, again, and Ak-Akamaru." She sighed. "Ino-Ino, Naruto…"

She stopped, burying her face in her hands. "I'll never see Naruto-kun's smile again."

The Fox was silent, but there was no need, for a different voice spoke up, this one rough and deep, like a rockslide. " _I may not like that dumb Fox very much, but I do understand one thing, Squirrel. Life is pain, ain't nothing going to change that, but that doesn't mean you give up. You just find something that helps you forget the pain…even if it is for a little while."_

Hinata looked up at the small but fierce form of Shukaku that now sat just in front of her. "Hello, Shukaku-sama. I am sorry if I bothered you with my tears, again."

 _"Don't pay him any mind, Chickadee."_ Matatabi purred in her soft alto, her beautiful fiery form sauntering out of the darkness. _"He's always been indelicate when it comes to the feelings of others."_

Hinata stifled a giggle as the sand Raccoon growled. She accepted the glowing blue form of the Cat as she crawled into Hinata's lap and allowed the young girl to pet her. Her purrs warmed Hinata, though she couldn't tell if it was on purpose or not.

"Thank you, Matatabi-sama. I believe what Shukaku-sama said made sense." The Cat purred a little louder but didn't say anything. Shukaku growled again, but Hinata stopped him by reaching out with her free hand and began to pet him as well. "Do not be angry with Matatabi-sama, Shukaku-sama. Everyone had their own opinions, it is your right as intelligent creatures to have one and voice it. You don't have to agree, either."

 _"Kukukukuku!"_ Hinata jumped slightly, looking up at the Fox as he burst into malicious laughter. _"You are something different, Kit. Reminds me a lot of the brat."_

Hinata tried to smile but couldn't. Tears filled her eyes, again. "Good. Naruto is someone everyone should strive to equal." She leaned over and nuzzled Matatabi's head, too lost in her memories to notice as the two small Tailed-beasts beside her glared up at the Fox.

 _"Way to go, Moron."_ Shukaku hissed. _"We cheer her up a little and you bring her back down."_ Matatabi gave a small agreeing hiss.

The Fox smiled at them maliciously, baring all his sharp pearly teeth. _"We all know, the kid wasn't her soulmate."_

Matatabi threw him a deadpan expression. _"So, that doesn't mean you throw his name all over the place. Soulmates or not, she still loved him, and it still hurts that she lost him."_

The Fox shook his head. _"You, two, are hopeless. I'll talk about it later, if you're interested, but for now, someone's coming."_

Seeming to sense it too, Hinata sat up straight, looking over her shoulder. "I have to go. Thank you for the comfort, Kurama-sama, Shukaku-sama, Matatabi-sama."

She stood and bowed respectfully to all, before emerging from the mindscape she'd dubbed the Kurama's Place. She blinked at the brightness of the sun, surprised at the place of it. It had been early morning when she laid down, but it was already late afternoon.

With a sigh, Hinata stood, brushing herself off, just as her sister appeared at the edge of the park. "Hinata-nee, Otou-san wishes to speak with you."

Hinata nodded. "Thank you, Hanabi-chan." All she got was an infuriated huff in return.

Hinata sighed again. That was another problem. Due to her being the Meeting Place for the Tailed-beasts, Hinata was now revered as a war hero, right up there with Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. For reasons beyond comprehension, Hanabi was angry with Hinata, at this.

Hinata didn't want to be the hero, she just wanted to be useful. She was never strong enough to protect those she cared for, never strong enough to stand at Naruto's side, never strong enough to save him, when he died.

So, when given the chance, she stepped up and agreed to be what Naruto couldn't. Perhaps with all the Tailed-beasts communing inside her, she could be of use. She could help, fight, and be better, where before she wasn't. Hinata only wished she could have done so, before so many had died in the war.

* * *

Hinata withheld a sigh as she listened to her father drone on and on about whatever it was he was talking about. He'd been speaking for nearly ten minutes and just like everyone else, she'd tuned him out.

It was late, she was tired, and all she really wanted, was to sleep.

They had held the Memorial for the Fallen, today. The entire time, it had been sunny and bright and beautiful, though the ground had been thoroughly watered with the tears of the survivors. Hinata had overheard, and agreed with, the many people that muttered their hatred toward the beautiful day. The day deserved to be dark, thunderous, ominous, it deserved to reflect their hearts, heavy and full of new painful scars.

"The day had been heavy, but tomorrow we rebuild." Hinata jerked out of her revere at her father's words. "Go now and sleep, for tomorrow starts a new era, an era of peace."

Hinata didn't know about their new gained peace being permanent, but sleep sounded good. She rose, with everyone else, and headed for the door. Whatever gods that existed hated her, because before she reached the door, her father called her back.

"Hinata."

"Otou-san." She bowed respectfully.

"You are a hero of war, Hinata, yet you would bow to me?" The way he asked it, indicated an ulterior motive.

Hinata was aware of this. "You are my father and Clan Head, Otou-san, I will always bow to you."

He nodded with satisfaction. "Very well. There is a meeting of the Elders tomorrow morning. You will be there."

Hinata resisted the urge to sigh. "Yes, Otou-san. Good night."

"Sleep well, my daughter."

Hinata nodded, before leaving, making a beeline for her room. She avoided everyone she could and purposefully ignored the rest. _Sleep is all I want._ She thought, a little to Kurama, or any other Tailed-beast present, but mostly to herself.

 _You know, with just one of us present, you don't need sleep?_ Kurama informed her as she dressed for bed.

 _Yes, Kurama-sama, I do know. However, I'm not aiming to rest my body, I want to rest my mind._ Hinata sighed. _I'm so tired of everything. I need something to do, and not something menial. I need…I need another war. I know that sounds bad, but now with all of you, I can fight and be helpful. I don't want another war, but I want to do something, be strong, and use all my new power, for the better. I want to do_ something _, anything._

Kurama was silent for a moment. _Rest up, Kit. I can't promise my solution is the best, but I do have an idea in mind._

Hinata's interest was peaked and she began to burn with curiosity, but Kurama had withdrawn, going down deep into her mind, where all nine of the Beasts meet in the mindscape Hinata had named the Tailed-Place. Hinata could have followed, of course, but she figured, if he was going to tell her, he would have. Now, it would simply be best to do what he said and wait for him to tell her his idea.

Hinata laid down in bed, smiling slightly at the gentle murmur in the back of her mind. The last thing she thought before going to sleep was, _how lucky am I? I will never be alone. They, all the Beasts, may be a little rough around the edges, but they are strong, mature (when necessary), and thoughtful. I am glad to have such companions that will never leave me and never die._

She didn't realize her thoughts were heard and heeded.

She didn't realize, though they had all met and been impressed by Naruto's loud goodness, they were even more impressed by Hinata's shy strength.

 _She's taking us places._ Kurama murmured to his siblings, and they agreed. This soft warrior was taking them higher than they could have with Naruto. Naruto was a hero and a savior…

Hinata…Hinata was an angel and with her, the Beasts were going to Heaven.


	2. An Idea and Being Unprepared

**Chapter 2 An Idea and Being Unprepared**

* * *

 **Quote 2: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why we call it the present. -Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda**

* * *

 **Time Rule 2: Once the Traveler has gone back in time, the person they used to be no longer exist.**  
 **(The Traveler's existence is reWoven and who they used to be is replaced by an entirely different existence. This itself is the first step to the reWeaving of Time.)**

* * *

 _"It's a bad idea, I'm leaving now, so see ya!"_ Kurama snarled and stamped his hand down on one of Gyuki's many tails.

 _"Shut the fuck up and listen to me."_ He snapped, his voice low and threatening. _"You have only heard my idea, not my reasons."_

The Tailed-Place was silent.

 _"Alright, Kurama."_ Matatabi started carefully. _"Explain yourself."_

 _"We are all aware, the Kit doesn't belong in this era. She is a Destined Traveler. We know this. She's unhappy here. She lost too many that were too important to her. She has also come to the conclusion that though she had new strength with us, there is nothing she can do with it. She feels helpless and lost. She's constantly in tears or reminiscing about the past, a past she cannot have…or can she?"_

The other Beasts did not speak, merely exchanging various looks. Eventually all eyes turned back to the Fox. Hearing no protests, he continued.

 _"Traveling is difficult and dangerous, for even the most prepared, however, with the nine of us together, manipulating where and when, it shouldn't be too difficult. The creation of a new Dimension will be easier, with our added power, and her reWeaving would be a lot less stressful, with only one of us here, let alone all nine._

 _"She doesn't belong. Let us take her someplace where she knows she can make a difference and where WE know she'll find the happiness she deserves."_

The silence that filled the Tailed-Place was heavy, but thoughtful. Each Beast had thoughts of their own. They all had come to care for Hinata, in the short time she'd spent as the Jinchuriki. They had all spent their time in her thoughts, giving her company and they had all come to love all her various quirks.

They wanted what was best for her and every single one came to one very obvious conclusion; Kurama's idea wasn't a bad one, in fact, it was a rather good one.

 _"Alright,"_ Isobu starts carefully. _"Say we are all onboard for this, we have decisions to make. This can't be something we do on a whim."_

 _"I'M COMMIN' FULL AND CLEAR!"_ Kokuo tossed his head and stamped his hooves, prancing in place. _"I haven't got better things to do!"_

 _"Hold on, dolphin face,"_ Matatabi interrupted. _"You have to think about when we're going. It may be necessary to leave part of you where it belongs, or the entire Timeline could be thrown, destabilizing the Dimension. Remember, the past is more stable and more set the further back you go and to throw it off too much can cause stress to the Universe."_

There was silence from all of them, for a moment. _"I agree with Kurama. Let's go."_ Chomei's light soprano broke it.

 _"Let's go, bro!"_ Gyuki roared in enthusiasm. _"I'll miss Bee, we'll meet again, see! I say leave half us where we belong, but the rest of us go along!"_

Shaiken nodded her head. _"For once I agree with the rhyming idiot. I'm good to go, but it'd be better to leave half of our existence in whatever poor, unfortunate jinchuriki we were locked in, at the time."_

It was odd not to hear the Slug spouting rude sarcasm, but the seriousness in her tone made up for it and her companions listened and agreed. There was a muttered grumble of agreement from Son Goku, who was sulking for some reason or other, but still had the decency to listen to the conversation.

 _"If you're all up for it, I'm in. Ain't got anything better to do, except maybe listen to the brat complain about something or other."_ Shukaku shrugged in false indifference.

This left Isobu and Matatabi. The Turtle and Cat exchanged looks. _"I have no objections."_ Isobu remarked.

Matatabi was silent for a short moment. _"I see no major flaw in Kurama's thinking."_

It was decided, the nine Tailed-Beasts were going to travel to the past, with their shared Jinchuriki.

* * *

Hinata was many things. She was shy, kind, strong (though she didn't always think so), beautiful (she also wasn't sure about this), smart, caring, giving, trusting…Something she was not, was insane. Hinata was completely sound of mind and understanding. She had seen questionable things and thought questionable thoughts, but in no more excess than any given individual.

However, the time she went to bed in her own bed, in her own room, in the Hyuga Compound, but woke up at the shining morning sun in an unfamiliar forest, she questioned her innate ability to function correctly and safely in the way that was mandatory for humans to live.

The young girl sat up, blinking in confusion and awe at the world around her, not even certain as to how she should react. The most prominent thought in her mind was, _how did I get here?_ However, she didn't speak nor make a sound, years of being a shinobi taught her, when you wake up and don't know or remember where you are, silence is golden, because one is never certain as to what could be nearby.

 _Um…Kurama-sama, please tell me you have more answers than I do?_

There was silence in her mind and Hinata, who hadn't been panicking before, was now. Her heart began to race, causing a roar to rise in her ears. Suddenly she was too hot and the air around her seemed much too heavy to breath.

 _Kurama-sama?_ She tried again. _Oh, dear! Ohdearohdearohdearohdear!_

Tears pricked her eyes, but that was all that was needed to pull Hinata out of her panic. She swiped them away, anger and determination quickly replacing her fear. _What's the first thing you do when you're lost in unfamiliar territory?_ She asked herself.

 _Find a safe source of water._

Hinata pushed herself to her feet, frowning at her clothing. She still wore the black tank-top and shorts she'd gone to bed in. Her feet were bare and all she had aside from her clothes, was her hitae-ate, which she was immensely glad for. She'd feel lost without it's familiar weight around her neck. She'd seen and done a lot as a shinobi of Leaf and she'd be damned if she got lost anywhere without the distinguishing headband that let everyone know who she fought for.

Activating her byakugan, Hinata jumped into the nearest tree and surveyed her surroundings. 20 kilometers in every direction, Hinata could see trees. _That's unhelpful._ There were small water sources, small streams, tiny ponds, but nothing major.

She sighed. _What am I going to do?_ She didn't want to move too far, she didn't know where she was and unknowingly wandering into enemy territory was dangerous. She was unarmed, underdressed, and without the proper survival equipment.

She sighed, again. _When all there is left to do is move, then move._ She quoted to herself.

Her byakugan still activated, Hinata carefully jumped from tree to tree, resisting the unladylike urge to curse as the rough bark of the trees' branches cut her feet.

* * *

Hinata stumbled, barely catching herself from a near forty-meter fall to the ground below. Her vision swam in and out of focus. Her chakra had run out almost twenty minutes ago, leaving Hinata blind without her byakugan. She hadn't found a decent source of water and now, as the day was near it's end she was starving.

 _Kurama-sama?_

She wasn't expecting an answer, but she still couldn't help but check, hoping she wasn't alone. She hated being alone. She hated being forgotten or pushed away.

Hinata sighed as hot tears stung her eyes. Pushing them away, she leapt to the next tree. This was not a wise decision on Hinata's part, but the girl was at her limit, having pushed her body and her chakra to the point of exhaustion and her mind stressed beyond a fully functional point.

Hinata's bruised and bloody feet hit the rough bark of the branch. Waves of violent pain shot through her, from her feet up, causing her knees to buckle. Hinata couldn't stop the scream that escaped her throat as she lost her balance and fell from the tree.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry, I couldn't post Monday, my internet has been jacked for a few days. Thanks to those who reviewed, please read and review, I'll update again next Monday.**


	3. Another Idea and Saving Lives

**Chapter 3 Another Idea and Saving Lives**

* * *

 **Quote 3: "Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death." –Miyamoto Musashi**

* * *

 **Time Rule 3: It is impossible to travel to the future.**  
 **(Nothing is defined and if one should try, they will be trapped in the Gray Mists of unWoven Universe, for eternity.)**

* * *

Pain, that was what Hinata woke up to. Everything on her hurt, but mostly her feet. Hinata groaned attempting to reach up and rub her eyes, but to her horror and absolute fear, she found her hands cuffed to whatever flat surface she was…no, she wasn't laying.

As her mind became more aware, Hinata became aware that she was upright, cuffed by chakra limiting stone, to a cold rock wall. Her feet hurt so bad because she was being forced to stand on the violent cuts and burns she'd received while tree-jumping barefoot the day? before.

Hinata groaned again, finally opening her eyes and was answered by a wave of mocking, cheerful awe. "SO! The little princess is awake!"

She was in a relatively large cave with no visible entrance, lit by various fires all around. With her, in the cave were roughly fifty shinobi, their hitae-ate gleaming with the carved stones that indicated they were of Iwa.

Hinata wasn't entirely certain as to what was going on, or how she got anywhere near Iwa. However, she got the distinct feeling that she wasn't actually in the right time period. As odd as it sounded in her mind, she could, somehow, _feel_ this. Perhaps it was the foreboding she was getting from the many shinobi leering at her. Yes, that was it. All the five shinobi villages were allies. The treaties and agreements had been officially signed after the Fourth War.

"Hello, Princess, I hope you had a nice nap." Hinata didn't flinch as the blond man suddenly put his face right into her bubble. She wanted to, hating his usage of Gyuki's nickname for her, but she was an heiress, and if her father had taught her anything over the years, it was image.

 _"Always be what you are not."_ Her father told her. _"When you are worried, look confidant. When you are bluffing, look smug. When you are intimidated, show no emotion. When you are frightened…don't be. Hold your head up, when you are down. Never smile, but sneer. Turn your nose up, even when your interested. And if all else fails, bite your tongue, look your enemy in the eye, and give them a solid "Fuck you"."_ It had been the first and only time she'd ever heard him curse, but it was also one of the only lessons she cared to remember.

Hinata stared at the man, keeping her face absolutely emotionless, despite the fear that coursed through her veins like blood. "What's wrong, Princess? Think your too good for us?" The man sneered at her turning to his companions. "She thinks she's too good for us!" He shouted. All the men jeered, the cave filling with insults and evil laughter.

The man stepped closer to her, his face inches from her. "We're going to rip out those pretty eyes and learn all your secrets. Then you are going to service every single one of my men for as long as they want."

Hinata didn't consider herself strong. She could fight as well as any chunin. Sometimes, if she had too, she could push herself to jounin level, but she knew how to act like an heiress. She knew how to lift her nose in the air and look down on people. She knew how to say something and sound like she meant it, even if her words couldn't have been further from the truth. She also knew, with her being the ultimate Jinchuriki, even without the Beasts present and available for conversations, she was amazingly strong with abilities she didn't even know she possessed.

But, in that moment, Hinata had never been more at a loss in her abilities. The thought of "servicing" even one man, against her will, sounded like a living hell…and there were at least fifty shinobi present.

 _"And if all else fails, bite your tongue, look your enemy in the eye, and give them a solid "Fuck you"."_

Hinata decided to do just that, for she didn't know what else to do She was lost, now kidnapped, none of the Tailed-Beasts were answering, and they'd just threatened to take the byakugan.

She looked the blond in the eye, pushed aside her shy, fearful heart, smirked, and in a very soft voice murmured, "Fuck you, Iwa."

She didn't like the smirk he gave her in return as he pulled out a kunai. "I will you," he answered, "but first, I'm going to win us this war by taking that demon dojutsu you were born with."

Hinata's eyes widened and she jerked away as he attempted to reach her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and thought as fast as she could. _What should I do?! What should I do?!_

 _"Because of your dojutsu, the chakra paths to your eyes are so much larger, but if you were to put enough precise pressure to them, it could destroy them entirely. It would make you go blind, but it would stop anyone from getting your byakugan. It's not as effective as the Caged Bird Seal, but it'll do as a last-ditch effort."_ Sakura's words suddenly came back to Hianta, from time she'd gone to her friend in fear of losing releasing her clan's secrets if she died in the Fourth War, or if she was caught by the enemy.

Hinata delved deep inside herself, to where the dormant powers of the Tailed-Beasts remained. Pulling out their endless stream of chakras, Hinata projected it out of her body as hard as she could. The cuffs holding her, the blond shinobi, and the cave wall behind her all exploded—in the wall's case, being thrown back fifty meters, destabilizing the already enormous cave. The Iwa shinobi closest to her went flying backward and the entire cave began to rumble and shake, at the sudden expansion and loss of support.

Hinata dropped to her knees and promising herself, she'd destroy her eyes, after she was certain the cave was going to come down and destroy ever single shinobi. The man had mentioned war, somehow solidifying Hinata's insane theory. He had wanted her byakugan to win the war, which meant they were fighting Konoha. And Hinata would be damned if she let anything destroy her home, no matter when it was.

The shinobi began to scramble about shout and stumbling over each other, the cave now a cacophony of chaos. Some lay dead, others injured and screaming. Some were erecting pillars of earth to hold up the ceiling, but, due to Hinata's constant flow of destructive chakra, they were falling just as fast as or faster than they could be created. Others were moving an enormous boulder to create an exit from the cave, for escape from the new "Devil" they'd found. Those remaining with a clear enough mind to do something, went for Hinata, in the hope to take her down.

Hinata eyed the desperate shinobi attempting to get to her, but no matter how hard they tried the chakra she was emitting wouldn't let them near. She felt bad, she really did, but Hinata was a shinobi of Konoha and no one who wanted to hurt her village and her friends (or ancestors as the case seemed to be) would be allowed to live.

 _Tadpole!_ Hinata jumped at the sound of Isobu's desperate voice. _I'm here! I'm locked inside a little girl to your left with a real shitty seal! Her friends are coming to get her, I can feel them getting closer! You need to keep the Iwa shinobi distracted, without killing yourself, long enough for them to get here._

 _I'm sorry, Isobu-sama, but I can't let anyone get my byakugan._ Hinata murmured, her desperation taking away any and all adrenaline, sucking it from her like a bijuu extraction. Now that it had been pointed out to her, Hinata could feel the approaching chakra. There were nine of them, and while they felt vaguely familiar, they weren't familiar enough to give Hinata any relief. _Its secrets have been kept by my clan for generations and as one of the heiresses_ and _member of the Main Family, I will not be the one to have it taken._

Isobu chuckled. _You have heart, Tadpole, I get that. But what you don't get is; this girl is Konoha, she's a Leaf medic, who's sensei is none other than our Naruto's dad. One of the girl's teammates is Kakashi-sensei…the Hokage in your time."_

Hinata activated her byakugan and swept the cave. She could sense Isobu's presence. Pinpointing it, she caught sight of a small brown-haired girl with adorable purple tattoos on her cheeks. She stood frozen, oblivious to the chaos around her, cuing Hinata into the genjutsu the girl was stuck in and Isobu hadn't bothered breaking.

With a definitive nod, Hinata sent out a blast of chakra, meant to protect her, and through her, Isobu. Unfortunately, with her attention elsewhere and her concentration shot, the chakra shielding her had weakened.

Just as the Leaf shinobi arrived, one of the Iwa leapt forward, kunai in hand, aiming right for Hinata's eyes. She screamed and in a burst of desperation, she sent the poisonous red chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, that had suddenly become fearfully easy to reach, in uncontrollable shockwaves of utter hellfire, through the chakra paths that connected to her eyes…and unfortunately, the lack of control allowed that chakra to deviate from the desired course and spread their poison her brain.

She didn't hear the desperate cry of, _HINATA-KIT! NO!_ before every fiber of her being was consumed in the utter anguish of her actions.

* * *

Orochimaru was willing to admit, he was a less than savory creature. He was maliciously curious and satisfied that curiosity through less than savory means. He beat, borrowed, lied, cheated, stole, kidnapped, and killed for what he wanted. He'd tortured men and fought in wars. He was as hard as they came and fearfully dark, not to mention strangely antisocial and pessimistic.

He was on mission with his two teammates, Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Tsunade Senju, the Slug Princess, Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze, his two students, Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha, along with Minato's best friend Hizashi Hyuga, and his team, consisting of the Kushina Uzamaki, the kyuubi jinchuriki, and Mikoto Uchiha, the Uchiha Matriarch. The three Legendary Sannin were sent to eradicate the threat created by the presence of the hidden Iwa jounin, set for a surprise attack on their village. The Yellow Flash of Konoha and his students were present due to the Iwa-nin that kidnapped the fourth member of their team, Rin Nohara. The Hyuga's team was present for any backup needed—not that it would be needed, as the Sannin were very good at what they did, as was Konoha's Yellow Flash.

When the odd teams arrived they were greeted, not by a mass of enemies, but a mass of chaos. The cave that was supposed to be harboring the enemy was quaking with the pressure of an enormous malicious chakra that resembled that of the kyuubi and the unstable support that had been hastily erect and was just as hastily crumbling. The Iwa-nin were busy either erecting said new supports or attempting to attack a dark-haired kunoichi that knelt in half broken heap at the back of the cave.

The group wasn't there any longer than a second, before the most unearthly scream suddenly split the air like a thunder crack, chilling even the cold Orochimaru to his bones. Everyone and everything within a hundred kilometers froze and before the eyes of all those close enough, the Fabric of Time was altered.

Orochimaru watched with sick, wide-eyed fascination as the dark-haired, obviously Hyuga kunoichi shrank, not just in size, but age as well. She went from a sixteen or seventeen-year-old young woman to a three or four-year-old child, cloaked in red demonic chakra, all within a matter of mere seconds, though they felt like long world-altering minutes.

The environment after the change, remained frozen and confused, until Kushina Uzumaki spoke. "He's crying for her." Her voice was barely audible, as soon as her words were spoken, the silence descended again, leaving those few close enough to hear, wondering if she'd even spoken at all.

It took a few more seconds, that felt like long world-altering minutes, for the frozen moment to end, doing so as nature took its course and the unstable cave broke the hastily erect pillars and began to tumble inward. As it did, the team of Leaf shinobi looked to Orochimaru, their official captain, for his commands.

Throwing his confusion, questions, and awe into the wind—for now—Orochimaru turned to Minato and his students. "Get your girl out of there." To the single Hyuga present, "the anomaly is yours, make sure she's alive, and get her out of there." Then, to his team, "we're going to finalize what she started and destroy the Iwa."

Everyone was burning with questions, but now just wasn't the time. They had Iwa to fry. With the renowned precision of focused Konoha-nin, the teams moved into action, faster than most eyes could see.

* * *

 **AN: Please Read and Review. Also, I have a question: What is everyone's favorite color?**


	4. What Was Going On and Chakra Colors

**Chapter 4 What _Was G_ oing On And Chakra Colors**

* * *

 **Quote 4: "Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things that we don't expect to see." –Douglas Adams**

* * *

 **Time Rule 4: Traveling to the past ultimately changes the future the Traveler remembers.  
(Aspects may stay the same, but due to the Butterfly Affect, other choices can be made. Thus, unWinding the future and returning it to Gray Mist, to be Woven again.)**

* * *

Isobu had seen many things in her long multi-millennia old life that doubled with the ability to Dimension Jump (when not forcibly sealed within a human shinobi). However, even to the Turtle couldn't quite comprehend what was going on around her. The girl, who's mind Isobu now sealed within, was in a state of panic _and_ a genjutsu. Her thoughts bounced around her mindscape like frightened rabbits with nowhere to hide, multiplying with each jump until Isobu was positively overrun with the chaotic fear.

 _"TURTLE!"_ The voice of a very pissed and emotionally unstable older sibling was an unsettling reprieve from the child's fear. Isobu reached through the confines of the sloppy seal, created by an Iwa fuinjutsu master, for the small, but solid strand of chakra that connected him to Hinata and her siblings.

At the Turtle's appearance in the Tailed Place, within Hinata's Mindscape, she was bombarded with desperate questions and strained appearances.

 _"WHAT IN THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"_ Kurama demanded. _"That bitch's seal is too powerful! I couldn't help! I wasn't in control!"_

 _"What's going on?!"_ Shukaku demanded.

 _"I felt something as well."_ Matatabi agreed, worry clear in her voice.

 _"What the shit's happening?"_ Son Goku added, appearing as well, followed quickly by small portions of Kokuo, Shaiken, Chomei, and Gyuki, all voicing their concerns, in their own individual ways.

As soon as their concerns were voiced, the Tailed Place was dead silent, neither Isobu nor Kurama wanted to tell what exactly had happened, especially because it was Kurama's chakra that had done the deed.

After an unnerving silence, Matatabi turned a withering glare to her older brother. _"Kurama, would you be so kind as to shed a little light on the current subject?"_ She asked with sickly sweet kindness.

Kurama was silent, his face expressionless, his normally slothful actions, _not_ , and his normally indifferent attitude, hidden. _"No!"_ he snapped.

Isobu shifted uncomfortably. _"Well, um…"_ Everyone's eyes snapped to her. _"See, the thing is, when Tadpole woke up none of us were able to be with her. Tadpole being the excellent shinobi she is, acted upon what she knew, but…things didn't go well."_

Matatabi sighed. _"We know all this, Isobu, we can see her memories as well as you! What we want to know is…WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED_ JUST _BARELY?! Why in all of the fifty shades of the Universe is Chikadee a freaking child now?!"_

There was a deathly silence.

 _"Because my chakra attacked her brain."_

* * *

Hinata groaned softly, stretching in half-sleep, and shifting in her bed. It was soft but felt strange. _What's going on?_ Her bed was softer than this, and her sheets, too. The little girl forced her heavy eyes open, determined to find out why she wasn't in her bed. When she did open her eyes, she sat up, took one look at the world around her…

And screamed.

Everything was gray! Everything, except the figures, that resembled people, moving all over the place, some above others, walking, but also floating! How else would they be above the others? Hinata could see the forms of plants, everything from the smallest blade of newly sprouting grass to the enormous trees just to her right. She could see the little insects to the small squirrels and the bigger birds that lived in those trees. She could see the figures of people, everywhere and the strange trails they left behind them, creating paths that oddly resembled the paths she knew to be her home. Every person had something that made their figure—their strange bluish figure, with the strange but identical pathways, with strange but identical points all over them—that made them each unique.

Some had a color other than blue, though there were only few of them that Hinata could see. There were others that had colors that glowed inside them, out lining the dot that was where a normal person's heart would be. Even others had an –impression— about them, something Hinata couldn't name but could identify, similar to a smell, but not a smell, because Hinata was nowhere close enough to smell the people.

"What's going on?!" She begged out loud. She got no answer, though she could see a figure with beautiful, soft, minty green made their way directly toward her.

Hinata tensed, but silently watched her approach. The figure…it was odd, she moved as though the place Hinata was at had walls and doors. Then it occurred to the small girl. _My byakugan,_ she thought, _I must have awakened my byakugan._

She looked around more, as the minty figure drew closer. _I could be in the hospital. This isn't anything like Otou-san said it would be, maybe I did it wrong and I had to go to the hospital._

The girl's heart fell, as the sound of a door opening confirmed Hinata's theory. _If I did it wrong and had to go to the hospital, Otou-san will be disappointed…again. I never do anything right._

"Good morning," a gentle female voice greeted. "I'm glad you are awake, you gave us quite the scare."

Hinata looked up at the figure and the minty coloring gave a flare of gentle happiness, as though the woman was smiling. "Hello," she answered, though she hadn't the heart to fake a smile.

"Why so down?" The woman asked, moving close to Hinata's bed, her hands doing something with an object Hinata couldn't see.

"You don't know?" Hinata asked.

"Know? Know what?" Something about the woman's color changed, nothing big, but much like the pulse of happiness, Hinata could tell something had changed.

"My byakugan," Hinata whispered, looking directly at where the woman's face would be, "it's broken."

The woman sat and Hinata felt the edge of the bed dip…she sat on the edge of the bed. "Oh? Well, we knew something was wrong, but you are looking right at me, I assumed you could see."

"I can see." Hinata answered, "just not that same as I could see before."

The woman's color was thoughtful. "Describe before."

Hinata frowned, confused. "Before! You know!" She sighed in exasperation. "Before, like with Okaa-san and Otou-san. Okaa-san tells me stories, so I can sleep, and Otou-san does training and teaches me things I'll need to know when I become Clan Head."

The woman's color briefly turned from minty green to a dark black-green, surprise, Hinata guessed, angry surprise. "If I'm honest, Sweetheart, we weren't expecting you to remember anything. When you say Clan Head, do you mean the Hyuga Clan Head?"

Hinata frowned. "Yes. Why wouldn't I remember anything?" She paused, "I guess I don't remember how I woke up my byakugan. Did something bad happen? Are Okaa-san and Otou-san okay?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, they are well. Tell me specifically, what are you parents' names."

"Hiashi Hyuga is my Otou-san and Yumi Hyuga is my Okaa-san. Medic-san, why are you green, when most everyone else is blue?"

The woman's color flashed a bright summer green, surprise, again. "Green?" She asked. "What do you mean green? And my name is Tsunade."

Hinata stared at her for a moment. "Well, Tsunade-san, everyone else, well most everyone else, is blue with the lines and the dots, but you are green, like mint candy. And that person in the trees over there is a pretty purple, like…um…flowers," she paused, "but he also makes me think 'bout snakes…white snakes, even though he's purple."

Tsunade was silent for a moment, looking in the direction Hinata had pointed, before speaking loudly. "You might as well come in, she can see you!"

Hinata looked between Tsunade and the purple person as the figure came closer. When he was standing beside the bed, Hinata asked, "Why did you shout, he was right there?"

Tsunade chuckled. "Yes, he was, except there was a wall and a closed window between us."

Hinata's eye's widened as she took in the world around her. "Really?! I guessed maybe, but…so all the people can't see me?!"

Tsunade chuckled again. "Nope, just me and Orochimaru are in the room."

Hinata looked at the purple man. "Oro-chi-ma-ru?" She sounded out, frowning slightly when something tickled in the back of her mind, trying to tell her, he was dangerous.

Hinata disregarded this and beamed at him. "Hello, Orochimaru-san, why were you in the trees?"

The man's color was dark and subtle, but Hinata thought it was so pretty that when it darkened at the man's answer, she didn't care. "I was the captain of the team that rescued you, I was concerned for your recovery." She did care, when Tsunade's darkened in anger.

Hinata looked at her, then back at Orochimaru. "Why are you angry, Tsunade-san? Are you angry because Orochimaru-san lied?" Both colors abandoned their darkness—mostly—in favor of a bright surprise.

"How—!" Tsunade looked at Orochimaru, before shaking her head. "We honestly shouldn't be surprised, she—" She cut off as Hinata's eyes suddenly snapped up to the ceiling as four figures appeared above her.

"Who are they?" she asked, her voice coming out shaky. She didn't like how dark the four figures' colors were. They were so dark, they almost weren't blue anymore, much, much closer to black, it frightened Hinata. Their aura sent of a very dangerous vibe.

Both present company looked up, realized they wouldn't be able to see what Hinata saw as what Hinata saw was on the roof, looked back down shaking their heads, and turned to Hinata. "What do they look like?" Tsunade asked.

"Black," she whispered, "they look black and mean." She shrieked and jumped, pulling the hospital sheets up to her chest, when suddenly they appeared in the room.

"Tsunade-sama, Orochimaru-sama, pardon the intrusion." One stated in a scary emotionless voice. "We have orders to take the child to the Hokage."

Hinata surprised everyone by jumping at Orochimaru, who only caught her out of pure shinobi speed. "Don't let them take me! Please! I don't wanna go with the bad black men!"

 ***AN: I realized upon writing the statement above, it sounded slightly racist. I do not mean for it to sound that way, it's referring to their dark chakra. The color black usually being used for evil and all. And the way bad guys are sometimes referred to as Men in Black.**

Orochimaru's color flared bright purple in surprise, but he didn't put Hinata down. In fact, he wrapped his arms around her more securely, allowing Hinata to lay her small head against his chest. She secretly marveled at the steady sound of his heart beat and the sound of his voice echoing in his chest as he spoke.

"If she does not want to go, I see no reason in forcing her. After all, Hiruzen-sensei would visit her here, should he desire to speak with her before she was released. As it is, he has already stated his desire to wait until she is well before any sort of interrogation happens. I advise, for your own safety, you give the honest reason as to what you are doing here, before I let Tsunade have her way with you all for breaking into her hospital."

The group was silent, but Hinata could see the black lighten with a slight hitch…fear. "Danzo-sama wishes to see her."

There was a beat of silence, before Tsunade answered. "Then he can get his shady old carcass out of the shadow of Hokage Mountain and come himself. Then maybe, MAYBE, we'll let him see her. Now get your own sorry asses out of my hospital, before I send you back to that sociopath in body bags."

Hinata was visibly relieved when the black men disappeared. "I don't like them," she whispered.

Orochimaru looked down at the child in his arms, who was peaking over his shoulder to the west, where Hokage Mountain resided and the men with a black color had reappeared and were now bowing to a man with even an even blacker color.

"Can you see them?" He asked.

She nodded. "Mhm, they are bowing to a man with a black, black color and…and…aaand…" She growled, "and I don't know what, and something. I don't like him, he's bad."

There was a beat of silence.

"If an adult doesn't like you, their being suspicious, if a child doesn't like you, you have problems." Tsunade stated. "I told Hiruzen-sensei he shouldn't be trusted."

"The fact that his chakra is black doesn't necessarily mean he isn't to be trusted, Tsunade, it simply means…" Orochimaru paused, at a loss for what it could mean instead.

"I means I don't like him." Hinata stated, determined. She beamed, then, "but I like you, Oro-kun! You're pretty!"

Orochimaru's color or chakra, as he'd called it, flared in surprise, then brightened to a soft lavender. Hinata didn't quite know what this meant, except that he was kind of happy. Happy mixed with something she didn't know the name for.

Tsunade gave a choking cough, her chakra flaring a bright summer green, before gesturing to them. "Put her back on the bed, _Oro-kun_ , so I can examine her."

Orochimaru's chakra flashed darker, but easily returned to the soft lavender it now was. He gentle placed Hinata on the bed, before settling himself beside her, at her behest.


	5. A Terrible Turn Of Events

**Chapter 5 A Terrible Turn of Events**

* * *

 **Quote 5: "Where else but a prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day?" Malcom X**

* * *

 **Time Rule 5: The Time Rules for Chakra Beasts are different than those meant for humans/shinobi.  
(Chakra Beasts do not have a defined physical form nor souls, thus the Rules by which they Travel are different.)**

* * *

After a very thorough check up and the time it took for the little girl, whose name they learned was Hinata, to fall asleep, Tsunade pulled Orochimaru out of the room and in search of a secure location to discuss what they had discovered so far about her, before taking it to their old sensei.

She dragged him all the way up to the Shodai Hokage's head, making sure they were completely alone, before turning to him. "Well?"

"Well what?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest, shifting his weight, and leveling her with a smug, self-absorbed look.

"Well, what do you think?!" She snapped. "And wipe that damn look off your face!"

"You're just angry you lost," Orochimaru defended. "Again."

Tsunade folded her own arms, turning away from her teammate, with a pout on her lips. "Shuddup."

Orochimaru chuckled softly, sitting on the carven stone beneath him, his legs folded neatly. "In all honesty, I'm quite taken with her."

"Of course, you are," Tsunade remarked sarcastically with a chuckle, joining him. "She called you pretty and gave you all the tactile touch you'd need for a full month, in a single setting."

It was Orochimaru's turn to pout. "It's not my fault the entirety of the human race is comprised of illiterate, diseased bovine with a disgusting habit to desire the company and/or touch of another illiterate, diseased bovine...especially when they do it loudly." He gave a faux shutter, actively ignoring Tsunade's unimpressed expression.

"Thanks," she remarked dryly, "I enjoy being referred to as a stupid, useless cow." Orochimaru shrugged. "ANYWAY, other than her kind heart?"

Orochimaru grew still, staring out at the village and land he called home. "Whatever happened, during that _moment_ changed her byakugan, and somehow…her age."

"When I checked her eyes, it looked as though the blood vessels of her eyes and the chakra paths that would have created the byakugan were melted, and rehealed, but however it happened, it happened wrong. They were all healed together, causing the chakra paths and the blood vessels to be one and the same, making her unable to turn off the byakugan, because of the natural chakra in the blood. Part of her eyes, too, were damaged, which would account for why she only sees gray, rather than the surrounding environment."

"What of her brain?" Orochimaru asked. "She seemed to act older than a four-year-old, but not much older."

Tsunade nodded. "Her brain is a good deal smaller than it would be, if she were sixteen or seventeen, but the amount of tissue is astounding. In normal circumstances it would be impossible for a child to have a brain that dense, but if it is accommodating for the extra knowledge that may have remained, however openly unattainable they may be, it would make sense, especially adding her subconscious maturity."

The medic paused. "How much of our conversation did you hear, before she pointed out you were there?"

"None," Orochimaru answered. "I'd only just arrived, when she pointed to me."

"Well…" Tsunade looked at her teammated wearily, "she remembers her parents."

His eyes widened in awe. "So, her mind has reverted back to the memories of her age?"

Tsunade shrugged. "That's what I though, until she told me who her parents were."

"Who were they? Hizashi-san didn't seem to recognize her, beyond her resemblance to his sister-in-law and the current matriarch of the Hyuga."

"Exactly." Tsunade stated, looking down in the direction of the Hyuga Estates. "She said her parents were Hiashi and Yumi Hyuga, the current Clan Heads of the Hyuga Clan."

Orochimaru frowned in confusion. "They've only been married for two years and have only known each other for six."

Tsunade nodded. "For that, having a four-year-old child wouldn't be impossible, look at the Uchiha, but that doesn't explain her being sixteen."

Orochimaru was silent for a moment. Then an idea stuck. "Unless it was a henge. If she's a prodigy like the Uchiha boy, that would be possible."

Tsunade shook her head. "No, we'd have known if the Hyuga had a prodigy child, before or after marriage."

"Is there any other explanation?" The snake sannin asked.

Tsunade sighed. "Damn it all, I really don't like you sometimes."

"Yeah you do, I'm irresistible."

"In your dreams, pretty boy, you look more like a chick than a dude."

Orochimaru smirked. "And what does that say about you?"

Tsunade tensed, before growling angrily. "Shut up!" She threw a punch his way, but the man, well versed in the ways of his teammate, was already a good three feet away from her. "Ugh! I hate you, you're such a stuck-up bastard!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Com'on, I bet Jiraiya's waiting at Ichiraku's."

Tsunade sighed before taking a large leap of the face of Hokage Mountain after her strange teammate. Both forgetting, both making the grave mistake of _not_ worrying about the ANBU that had previously showed interest in the little thing known as Hinata Hyuga.

* * *

Rin had been waiting for the opportune moment to slip past her team and seek out the little girl that had previously been a bigger girl, that had saved her life. So, when they finally fell asleep, each in their individual places, she got up, grabbed her IV line, and crept out of the room. None of this was helped by the new voice inside the young girl's head, egging her to be near the little girl.

 _Isobu-san, are you sure about this? I want to see the girl again, too, but if Minato-sensei wakes up with me gone, he'll be angry._

 ** _Of course, I'm sure, Rin-chan. You wan to see her again, I_** **need _to check on her, and if I'm honest, I really feel like something's going to happen._**

Rin thought about this as she ducked out of the way of an oncoming nurse. _Oh, alright. But only because if something happens, it would be better if someone was there, even if it is just me._

Isobu sighed. **_It would have been nice if that damn sensei of yours hadn't made the seal stronger, now even if I am present, I won't be able to do a damn thing._**

Rin sighed as well. _It was for the best Isobu-san. You're nice to me now, but I don't want to take any chances with the seal, you could destroy my home._

Isobu didn't answer, as Rin found the room she was looking for on the top southern most end of the hospital, in the classified section. Sneaking in hadn't been hard, which worried Rin a little, but she'd bother about that afterward, because now that she was closer, she was also beginning to feel like something was wrong or going to be wrong very soon.

Rin knocked on the door, but receiving no answer, she opened it carefully. The room was bright and clean, with evening sun filtering in the window from the side, bathing the bed in golden light.

Suddenly Rin's heart skipped a beat, the bed was empty! She jerked further into the room, the surprise of this development added with her own unhealthiness causing her to stumble. Rin could have sworn she felt the girl in here! Where was she?!

Isobu was only able to give a cry of warning before a sharp pain shot through her neck and Rin's world went black. Well that was the answer to that question.


	6. New Friends and the Idea of Demise

**Chapter 6 New Friends and the Idea of Demise**

* * *

 **Quote 6: "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus a day, so I never have to live a day without you." -Winnie the Pooh**

* * *

 **Time Rule 6: Everything the Traveler used to remember is thrown into question.  
(As a being from the Future, the Traveler cannot use the benefit of hindsight, due to the reWeaving they cause, by their travel.)**

* * *

Mikoto Uchiha sighed in exasperation, she'd been doing that a lot lately…well, not lately unless the last four and a half years counted as lately. Every since she'd married Fugaku Uchiha, her entire perception on life had changed.

Before, she had wanted nothing but to have a family. Now, now, she'd give anything _but_ Itachi to be back to where she'd been before, best friends with Kushina and Hizashi, a proud kunoichi of jounin status with an astounding record of completed missions. Now, while she was the mother of a very beautiful and intelligent boy, that was almost outweighed by the ass of a husband she now possessed, the "duties" of being the clan matriarch, and not even being able to raise her son the way she believed was right, or even healthy.

"Itachi, I'm home!" Mikoto slid her shoes off and would have headed into the kitchen, _if_ Itachi had answered. Ever since his father had taken him to the front lines six months ago, the boy had been _different_ , and Mikoto did not use that work lightly, she was best friends with Kushina after all.

Itachi insisted on being called Itachi, not Itachi-kun, not Tachi-chan, Itachi. He never smiled, _ever!_ His eyes were emotionless, calculating. He was deliberate, shrewd, and observant. And when Mikoto returned from a mission, he always answered her call of "I'm home," whether it was a returned call, or he wandered into the kitchen with the indifferent precision of a cat that just _happened_ to walk into the room from which someone had called his name, only to walk out again and return to what he had been going previously.

He didn't.

With a dark, Uchiha frown, Mikoto slipped her shoes back on and called again. "Itachi, Love, I'm home!"

There was a pause.

"I am in my room, Mother."

Mikoto growled. "I am in my room," was his normal answer, the added and unnecessary "Mother" meant something was off. Itachi was exact like that.

"I'm making dinner, what do you want?"

"Tomatoes, Mother, it has been four days since last we had it. Father will be home soon."

Mikoto sighed. There were four masked shinobi in his room and Fugaku was at work. Tomatoes meant masked, rice meant not. How long it's been since they'd "had" the food, was how many shinobi there were. And if Fugaku was at work, he'd be home soon, if he was on a mission, he wouldn't care if they ate without him.

"I'll call you when it's ready, Love." I'm coming, don't do anything rash, I love you.

"Okay." No promises.

Mikoto growled softly, suppressed her chakra, and as silent as a shadow, crept up to her son's room. _Why can't that boy be normal? Why can't he just be satisfied with letting someone else handle the situation?_

Just as Mikoto reached the room, her heart stopped as there was a crash, Itachi screamed "MOM!" in a voice she hadn't heard in a long time, and the house exploded.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi was tired, tired of war, tired of paperwork, tired of all the reports that continued to pour in telling him nothing but worse and worse news. He wasn't heartless though.

The Sandaime Hokage was more than ready to pass on the hat and he had the perfect candidate (well, two but he would worry about that later), but he wasn't so terrible a person as to pass it on until the war had ended, however long that was going to take. Being Hokage was a heavy burden to bear, learning to bear it in the midst of war was like taking a child and teaching them how to fight in the middle of a battle, doomed to fail.

Hiruzen could practically feel the weight of his job grow as his old friend and teammate walked into his office. "Hiruzen," he greeted, his cane tapping a rhythm to his desk.

"Danzo, please tell me something _good_."

The man sighed, his one visible eye giving his friend a look of pity. "I'm sorry, Hiruzen, but I haven't good news."

Hiruzen sighed, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. "Well, no reason to waste time. What's wrong?"

"The child your team brought in," Hiruzen leaned forward, "she's been kidnapped, out from under the nose of my ANBU."

He automatically dropped back. "Danzo! Put her back!" He cried in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air. "Please, just this once, leave her alone until we can get our own answers!"

Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Why do you automatically assume it was me?"

The Hokage sat up, a wary look in his eyes. "It wasn't?" His eyes perfectly said, now that it was brought up, he really would have preferred it be Danzo, who'd decided to kidnap the newest power-piece.

Before either could answer, the large window behind the Hokage's chair was shattered as a very, VERY angry Tsunade appeared, followed closely by an equally ridged Orochimaru and a confused Jiraiya.

"You have all of ten seconds to give her back before I show you why I'm called the Slug Sannin." The blonde snapped, her golden-brown eyes burning with fury.

"You, Tsssssunade?" Orochimaru asked, his voice hissed maliciously. "Why ssssssshould you be the one to get to desssstory him?"

Hiruzen's eyes widened in perfect sync with Jiraiya's and Danzo's. It had been a long time since Orochimaru had cared about anything enough to lose control of sage mode and hiss, like a snake.

Fitfully threatened, Danzo held up his unbandaged hand in defeat. "I understand your anger, Orochimaru-san, Tsunade-san, but I assure you, it was not I who kidnapped the girl."

"Oh, h-really?" Orochimaru asked, taking a very threatening step forward. "Where you not the h-one who tried earlier?"

Danzo nodded. "I admit, I was interested, however, it was not me, for I am here for the sole reason as to inform the Hokage of her disappearance."

"If it wasn't you, who was it?" Tsunade snapped, folding her arms across her chest.

"I do not—"

All attention snapped to the broken window when an enormous explosion filled the air with thunder and light and ash, originating from the Uchiha Compound, unfortunately followed by chaos.

"It wasn't me."

All eyes snapped to the Toad Sage. The man shrugged, his arms held up in defeat. With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders he answered their baffled looks. "What, I have a guilty conscious."

* * *

Darkness was all Rin knew. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. She knew how painful it was when she was moved. She knew about how much she wished she could use chakra, because she had a headache the size of Hokage Mountain. She knew that she and the little girl, Hinata was her name, Tadpole was what Isobu called her, were in a cold cell. She knew Hinata hadn't stirred a bit since she'd been shoved into Rin's arms. And she knew darkness.

Until, the cell door opened for the first time in what had felt like hours. Rin hissed and snapped her eyes shut at the bright light, which wasn't actually all that bright, missing what was happening, until a small body was thrown at her.

Rin's eyes snapped opened as she instinctively cradled the body, it was small after all, about the size of Hinata's. She looked down and just before the light was gone again, she saw the black hair, terrified black eyes, and pale angular but angelic face of Itachi Uchiha, her teacher's, wife's, best friend's son, tied and gagged.

Then their world was plunged back into the bitter darkness.

There was the muffled sound from Itachi and he shifted in Rin's arms, but a pained groan soon followed.

"Shh," Rin murmured in his ear, shifting him off Hinata's still unmoving form, then situated them both so Hinata was laying with her head in Rin's crossed legs and Itachi was leaning against her left shoulder, with one of Rin's arms draped around his shoulders. "It'll be alright." A muffled answer followed, but Rin didn't understand him.

She frowned. Fumbling in the dark, she found Itachi's gag. Pulling it off, she asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Yes." Itachi's voice was soft, but weirdly emotionless, for a child of four. "My right ankle has been sprained, I believe the same knee is dislocated, and I have a large cut on the side of my head, just above my right ear."

Rin sighed. "Okay, I'm going to feel around for the head wound, I'm sorry if it hurts you, but it needs to be wrapped. I can't use chakra right now and head wounds bleed a lot."

"What will you wrap it with?" Itachi asked, his voice giving Rin the distinct impression that he thought she was an idiot.

"With the gag, it isn't anywhere near ideal, but it's all you have." Itachi was silent. "I'm going to do it now." Rin warned, still silence. Taking that as conformation, Rin carefully ran her hand through Itachi's hair. She easily found the large spot on the right side of his head, where his hair was matted and sticky. Shifting through it, carefully, she searched for the wound.

Itachi's startled cry alerted Rin to the wound. Resisting the urge to pull her hand away and risk losing the wound. As carefully as she could, she wrapped the cloth that had been around his mouth around the wound.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "are you alright?"

"Yes, what is your name?" Itachi asked.

"Rin, Rin Nohara."

"I am Itachi Uchiha."

There was a moment of silence, then, "I'm scared." Where, before, Itachi had been emotionless and strange, he now sounded like the four-year-old he was.

Rin wrapped her arm around Itachi's shoulders, laying her other hand on Hinata's head. "I know. Honestly, so am I."

There the silence fell over them, echoing with unspoken words and dark fears, deafening. It was long they sat there, curled against each other, Hinata yet to wake, Rin trying her hardest to formulate a plan and access her chakra and the chakra of Isobu, and Itachi lost to his pain, growing sicker by the moment.

Longer than Rin cared to remember, they sat there, in the pitch darkness, unable to see the noses at the ends of their faces, but eventually, to Rin's relief, Hinata woke.

* * *

"Mm, where am I?" Hinata shifted and turned, looking around.

"You're awake!" Rin cried, the same time Itachi stated, "Who are you?"

"My name's Hinata Hyuga, where are we and who are you?" Her voice was soft and not at all terrified, just curious.

"We're—"

Hinata suddenly gasped, clapping Rin's mouth, perfectly in the darkness. "Someone's coming!"

"How do you know—" Itachi jerked and hissed, when Hinata's hand clapped over his mouth as well, perfectly. The little girl lost a second in worrying about the boy's unnatural heat but pushed it aside.

"Shh," she snapped softly. Rin and Itachi were lost in the darkness, while Hinata's eyes followed the figure of a foreign and unfamiliar individual, who made their way toward the three.

It wasn't long before the cell door clinked with a shifted lock and opened. Rin and Itachi hissed back at the sudden light, but Hinata stared at the man full on.

"Good," he stated, "you're all awake. Up!" He commanded coldly.

Hinata looked back at her companions, who were trying desperately to see. "Where are we going?" she asked, curiously.

"That ain't your problem or business, Brat. Now you better do what you're told or you're gonna get a beating."

Hinata shrugged, pushing herself to her feet, frowning confused at the pale blue bands around her wrists that made her chakra/figure a pale frosty color, by rights it should have been a light lavender. Her inner core, too, seemed odd. The grey circle was larger than the rest by a good deal, the orange circle too, though not as large. When she'd been in the hospital, the gray and the orange had been equal, though larger than the others. The gray had changed.

All of this she thought, in the time it took for her to come to her feet and turn to her fellow prisoners.

The girl, who was bigger and older than Hinata and the boy, had blue chakra, like normal, except not. She had the pale blue bands around her wrists as well, so her chakra was frosty like Hinata's, making Hinata think that wasn't her normal color.

The boy had deep crimson chakra that flickered and moved like fire. It was spread thin around his body, but in his core, Hinata could see an immense power curled there, a lot like her own colorful powers. She also noticed how the boy's chakra gathered around his head, in a particular spot just above his right ear, his right ankle, and his right knee. It must have had something to do with his unnatural heat.

"I won't say it again! Up!" The man's voice was harsh and grating on Hinata's ears when he spoke loudly. Even if she hadn't been able to see the darkness of his indigo chakra, she still would have disliked this man.

Hinata, already standing, turned again, to the other two. The girl was helping the boy to his feet, so Hinata, being closer to his size, moved over to let him lean on her. The man took placed a hand on the older girl's shoulder, threateningly and walked them out of the room and down a dimply lit corridor.

"What's going on?" Hinata whispered to her companion as they walked. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he whispered back. "I do not think they are from any of the major villages."

Hinata had no idea what the boy was talking about but decided not to think about that. "What's your name?"

"Itachi Uchiha."

"Who is she?"

"Rin Nohara."

There was a small moment of silence.

"We need to get away. He is a bad man."

Itachi nodded his agreement. "They killed my mother."

Hinata jerked in surprise, then frowned, a deep anger filled her. "Then we'll just have to kill them back," she answered with cold, four-year-old, shinobi logic.

With that the two unwitting geniuses plotted the demise of the unknown shinobi that had kidnapped them. While both were rather small, they seemed to have access to great and unknown powers.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for your reviews, they make my day. Sorry for the late update, I've been a little under the weather...and so has my internet. Please review and tell me what you think of the knew chapter.**


	7. Strong Children and Uncontrollable Emoti

**Chapter 7 Strong Children and Uncontrollable Emotions**

* * *

 **Quote 7: "It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass**

* * *

 **Time Rule 7: Change isn't just possible, it is constant and ever present.**

 **(Simply by traveling to the past, major events may never happen.)**

* * *

Konoha was in chaos. Three days ago, the hospital had been breached and two patients were missing. The same day, the Uchiha Compound had been bombed, starting with the Clan Head's own house. The Hyuga Estates, too, had been hit, though as of now, there were no casualties. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the Uchiha. Mikoto Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha was MIA.

Fugaku Uchiha now stood some paces away from the remnants of his house, shrouded in a calm anger. He had a very base idea of where Mikoto would be, if she had been in the house when it was bombed, however, he knew Itachi wouldn't be with her, if she survived. His wife, ever the reluctant genius, had left behind a genjutu, depicting what had happened as she knew it.

It left the question: Who had taken his first born and how painful should he make their deaths? Fugaku was furious and as every Uchiha knew, it was not in one's best interest to be the focal point of that fury.

"What will you do, Uncle-sama?" A soft voice asked. Fugaku turned to his nephew, Shisui Uchiha. Since the awakening of his mangekyou sharingan a few weeks ago, Fugaku had kept him close. Shisui's sharingan had the potential to possess the most powerful sharingan in existence, since and even surpassing Madara.

"It is simple, we will follow Itachi's trail."

The seven-year-old genius blinked, baffled. "Trail?" Why hadn't he thought of that?

He nodded. "Yes. Itachi is very intelligent, he will have left a trail." He started at the remains of the Head house for a moment, before his uncle interrupted his planning.

"Uzumaki-san, what can I do for you?" The way Fugaku asked, it was easy to tell; he didn't much care for Kushina Uzumaki, his wife's best friend.

"Mm, Uchiha." She addressed him back, snidely. "You got any other Uchiha that can do what Mikoto does? Or does each person have a different dimension?"

"I am unaware, Uzumaki-san. As far as records go, Mikoto is the only Dimension Jumper, that isn't to say there won't be more in our line." Fugaku's answer, though respectful in words, was not in tone.

Kushina scrunched up her nose, making a displeased face. "Mm, I take it you're going after Itachi first?"

Fugaku nodded.

"Mm, well, good luck. Come find me, when you start looking for Mikoto, I'd like to help."

Fugaku studied the wild crimson-haired kunoichi, before deciding—no matter his adamant dislike for the woman—having the Nine-Tailed Fox Jinchuriki on his side would be useful. "Very well."

With a smug look and an air of victory, the hot-tempered kunoichi smirked and flounced off.

"She is strange." Shisui remarked. His uncle felt inclined to agree, on a level Shisui probably didn't understand yet.

* * *

Hinata bit her lip harder, closed her eyes tighter, and tensed her muscles more, determined to ignore the sound of Itachi's screaming; even as strong as he was, as smart as he was, the little Uchiha was still only four years old; and four years is no where near enough time to learn to endure torture.

Rin, at twelve, held much the same stance as Hinata. She'd been through much more than either of them (in active memory) and even she was unprepared for the unknown shinobi's brutality.

Hinata flinched and whimpered as another of Itachi's pained cries echoed through the dark metal chamber they'd been taken to by the mean shinobi with indigo chakra; Hinata really didn't like that shinobi.

 _What am I going to do?!_ She cried to herself. _I can't just let them hurt him!_ Somehow, to her, this situation felt familiar. Someone she loved in pain. Being too weak to help. Crying to herself for the strength to help. It made her want to scream in frustration.

And with her growing frustration, too grew her anger. It started out light, a magenta, simply her anger, but against her will it grew. Grew like a raging beast from purple to red, then darker; rose, crimson, scarlet! Blood!

Before the eyes of everyone present, including the photographic crimson of Itachi's, Hinata exploded. Her pale purple chakra, now violent and red burst from her skin, so excessive and so hot it tore away the chakra limiters like useless slips of paper. Her chakra roared, and the very skin of her body tore of in shreds, shredded paper in the wind of her rage.

The small, dark-haired, four-year-old girl, with a sweet disposition, a kind heart, and strange broken Hyuga eyes turned into a miniature but still deadly version of Konoha's Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Then, with the instincts of the animal whose chakra she'd stolen, Hinata went for the most dangerous first.

* * *

Yugito Nii hated being the jinchuriki for the Two-Tailed Demon Cat. The Cat, herself, wasn't bad, all she ever did was sleep, but the shinobi around her, her village, treated her like dirt, or worse. It made for a hard, lonely life, that added to the ridiculous training regime she was forced to go through from five in the morning to eight at night.

Yugito didn't see much light in life. She did have B, though. B was a high point in her life, being able to know another jinchuriki, even if he was weird, slightly insane, and six years older than her.

"Yo, Yugito-chan, whatcha thinkin' 'bout, un?!" Speaking of the weird, slightly insane, eighteen-year-old.

"Just thinking, B-san, and always with the rhymes? Don't they get old, or hard?" Yugito sat in front of her tent, set almost sixty paces from the nearest shinobi, in Kumokagure's war camp near the edge of the Fire Country.

B shrugged, a sloppy grin on his face. "Na, they don't get old or hard or cold. Just thinkin' ain't an answer, and you ain't much of a dancer."

Yugito sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever you say, B-san."

"You should quit callin' me 'B-san' and call me, B-kun!" The man set himself down on the ground in front of Yugito with a dramatic flourish. "We've known each other for years and shared a few tears!"

Yugito sighed, again, ready to comment, but to her surprise, her companion stirred in her sleep. The Cat, strange feeling and acting these past couple of days, had been restless in her sleep, and now she finally awoke.

 ** _Brat, what day is it and how close are you to Konohagakure?_** Yugito jerked in surprise, at that question, even more at her tone, and again more, at the Cat's sudden interest in Konoha, Kumo's enemy.

 _The Leaf is probably three days away. It's—_

Yugito let off her thoughts as B jerked and cried out in surprise, just as the Cat yowled. **_KURAMA! GET YOUR CHAKRA AWAY FROM HER, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!_**

Yugito shared a wide-eyed look with B, but neither said anything, as chaos had broken out in camp; in the form of a small red creature, easily resembling the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon of the Leaf.

That made no sense though, the Nine-Tailed jinchuriki was at least twenty by now and had long red hair. This little thing couldn't have been that. Certainly not with the way she was tearing through the camp like a Tasmanian devil with a little black duck on the loose.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the short update, I've been super busy. I hope you like, read, enjoy, review, follow, favorite. I have a question. At some point, Hinata is going to meet all her fellow jinchuriki (obviously). So my question is: should Gaara be born earlier, so he is her age, or should he be born later?**

 **Also, friendly hint for those of you who might not have noticed: There seem to be a few holes in my plot, like how did Hinata revert to a four-year-old, or how come she suddenly can't talk to the Chakra Beasts now. Hint: Pay attention to the Time Rules, they give you a lot of answers. Hint 2: Wait! ;) Most of this will be explained in the story, when it comes. Everything's just chaos right now.**


	8. True Forms and Warped Dimensions

**Chapter 8 True Forms and _Warped_ Dimensions**

* * *

 **Quote 8: "You always get the best answers, with the juiciest details, from eavesdropping. That isn't to say you'll get things perfect, right, or unpunished, but hey, what's so wrong with joining the Fellowship?" -MaNY1001**

* * *

 **Time Rule 8: It is possible to meet other Travelers.  
(It is rare, as most Travelers keep their presence, as Travelers, a secret.)**

* * *

Hinata cried, large fat tears rolled down her chubby pink faces, heart-wrenching sobs burst out of her mouth, and her small body shook. She sat curled into herself, in the dark, a large dark place with no light, not life, and nothing Hinata recognized.

In the distance, were her colors, the ones on her stomach, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't reach them. The cobalt-blue, anchor-gray, penny-brown, and ginger-red all glowed brighter than the others, but even their brightness was too far off for little Hinata to reach.

Hinata shivered in her little cavern of black, feeling cold and lonely. The voices, the soft whispering voices couldn't reach her, she was too far away. She was too scared to listen.

Or was she?

The little four-year-old jerked as a far-off call had the cobalt pulsing. Hinata stared at it, with her strange broken eyes. She jerked again, flinching when it suddenly grew bigger than the others.

The call became louder, but still Hinata couldn't make out words. She stared at it, before shrieking in surprise as the penny pulsed and grew larger as well, the low call of a male joining the light call of a female, from the cobalt.

Hesitantly, Hinata pushed herself to her feet, stumbling in the hospital gown she still wore from the Konohagakure Hospital, it seemed like a lifetime ago, to the little girl.

"H-he-hello?" She called, her fear causing her voice to shake.

The voices grew louder. Hinata could make out the soft sound of a name, or she thought it was a name.

The cobalt called softly, like a mother's voice. **"…chick…chickadee…"**

The penny, deeper, but still soft, fatherly. **"…princess…queeny…"**

Hinata froze as the anchor-gray joined the call, it also growing larger, followed strangely by the ginger-red.

The anchor called, softly, sisterly—Hinata thought. **"…tadpole…little fish…"**

The ginger, lovingly, like a prince coming for his princess. **"…kit…my vixey…"**

Hinata froze and was silent, after the anchor and ginger joined the call, but hearing the care in the voices, noticing how they lightened as they drew nearer, she slowly made the effort to walk toward them, though she felt sore and tired.

"Hello?" she finally called again. "I am here! Please, will you help?! I am lost!"

 **"Kit, my vixen,"** the ginger glowed brighter. **"Come, little fox, this way."**

With the voice leading her on, Hinata journeyed ever closer. Finally, to the little girl's ultimate relief, the colors, the small circles that usually reside in her stomach, began to form shapes.

 **"Well, little Kit. I believe you have surpassed the Brat's ability to cause a scene _and_ make a mess."**

Hinata paused. The ginger took the form of a man, though Hinata found it odd, as he had nine long _things_ —for lack of a better word—coming up from behind him, moving and waving about like tails.

"Hello," she answered softly. "I'm sorry, I don't know you, but thank you for finding me. Can you take me home now?"

 **"Of course, we can, little Chick."** The cobalt was a woman, tall and beautiful, if her color was anything to go by and she also had the tail-things behind her, though she only had two. Hinata also noticed she had what could only be cat ears on the top of her head. **"You gave us quite the scare. You are much to little and _much_ to adaptable to be doing something so dangerous as using Kurama's chakra."**

Hinata didn't really understand what she was talking about, but she was kind, soft-spoken, and her chakra was a soft beautiful color. Hinata smiled, then frowned. "Oh!" She cried. "Where is Itachi-kun?! And Rin-chan?! We were together!"

 **"Rest assured, little frog,"** the anchor called notice to herself, with her teasing but kind voice. **"We're going to get them out fine."** The anchor's chakra flared with amusement and Hinata couldn't help but giggle. She was beautiful, just like the cobalt, pale and soft like a snowflake or a cloud or dove. She had three tails and was shorter than the cobalt, but not by much. She stood in a sassy pose, with both hands on her hips, feet spread apart, and her hip cocked to one side. Hinata secretly thought she looked like a big sister, sassy, full of attitude, and ready to take on the world. She liked the anchor.

 **"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, what will do will go on bookshelves. If we make a mess, we'll cause a lot of stress."** Hinata giggled again, at the penny. While he rhymed, he still took one the look of a father, though his eight tails threw off the look just a bit, but Hinata didn't mind.

For reasons beyond just the ability to see their inner chakra, Hinata felt completely at ease beside these three individuals, however odd they were, it was as if they were her family and had always been there to take care of her.

The previous fear and sadness gone with the appearance of the four strange chakra's, Hinata felt safe once more and the frustration and pain of seeing her friend hurt had vanished. These four were here for her and they were going to help her, _were_ helping her, though she did not yet know it.

Without thinking about it, Hinata reached up and took the hands nearest her, the cobalt and the ginger. The four individuals all looked down at her in surprise, then exchanged looks of confusion.

 **"Little Chickadee,"** Cobalt asked, **"What do you see when you look at us?"**

"A family," Hinata answered. "You are the mama, Penny is the papa, Anchor is the big sister, and Ginger…I don't know what Ginger is, but I like him."

Silence rang in the dark world, causing Hinata to frown. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

 **"No!"** Penny was quick to reassure her. **"Nothing's wrong, Princess! We're just thinkin' on business. We'd better go now, there's gonna be a show down."**

 **"That doesn't rhyme,"** Anchor grumbled as she turned to leave, followed by Penny, who argued with her. Cobalt and Ginger, keeping Hinata's hands, followed.

 **"Let's go, little Chickadee. We'll wonder about all this important stuff later."** Hinata smiled at Cobalt, but stored Ginger's answer for later.

 **"Important indeed. Who'd have thought she'd be the one, after all these years."**

 **"Don't get your hopes up, Kurama, it may just be her eyes."**

 **"Whatever it is, she's still important. You saw what happened to the Dimension when she hurt herself, you also saw what happened when she grew frustrated."**

Both were silent. Hinata looked from one to the other, slightly disappointed that was the end of the conversation; it had been getting interesting, if not intense…not the Hinata was entirely sure what they were talking about, because even if she didn't, she could store the conversation away for years when she was older and knew more.

 **"Yes. I saw."** Cobalt said at last. **"I don't know what to make of it, or even name what happened, but I guess I can agree, she is important."**

 **"I can name it,"** Ginger, Kurama continued. **"The Dimension _Warped_ for her." **The awe in his voice was not lost to Cobalt, but it was to Hinata. **"It bent for her, allowing her to reach me, even when the Eight-Trigrams Seal was the strongest it'd been since Mito Uzumaki. Both times, even if I was near for the first, she should not have been able to reach me, for she couldn't hardly do anything but talk to Isobu, and she was right there in the cave with nothing but a shoddy seal between them."**

Silence rang again, though this time, Hinata got the feeling the conversation wasn't over, especially as Anchor and Penny turned to let the others catch up, hearing and wishing to join the conversation.

 **"I have a question."** Anchor stated. **"So, the whole four-year-old-thing, it's because she's so adaptable, right? It's because Kurama's chakra went to her brain, fried all her memories before four-years-old, so her body adapted to make set itself to its most stable?"**

Cobalt nodded. **"That is my theory at least, though who truly knows with a _Warp._ Only the Sage of Six Paths would have the answers, bit I do NOT want to get answers from him, that's just asking for a world of work that I don't want to do."**

 **"You are too lazy for your own good, Matatabi."** Ginger-Kurama stated, amusement filling his chakra and voice. **"Though, I agree it would cause a lot of trouble."**

 **"Whoa, what was that?!"** Cobalt-Matatabi asked, smugly.

 **"Shut up! I'm not saying it again!"** Ginger-Kurama tightened his hold on Hinata's hand. **"Let's just get the little brats home and be done with this business, I'm putting so much energy into this my current brat will be able to take all the chakra she wants, and I won't even be able to fight her, not to mention, any longer and she'll notice."**

They all nodded in agreement. **"I am closest and less restrained, let me take her out to be retrained."**

There was a collective sigh at Penny's rhyme, but the others nodded again. Hinata frowned as their colors faded off into the distance until they were again small circles of colored chakra, right along side the other eight chakras, not counting Penny.

"Where'd they go?" She asked, worry beginning to fill her little form.

 **"Don't you worry, little Queen. They're leavin' to do some clean-in'. I'm gonna take you back, to get you a snack. Close your eyes and think 'bout pretty blue skies!"**

Hinata frowned, not quite satisfied with that answer, but decided not to push it. "So, close my eyes?" she asked.

 **"Sure thing, Princess, that'll be what brings you success."**

Hinata giggled at his rhymes, before closing her eyes and thinking of all the blue skies she could remember.

* * *

 **A/N: I started out thinking, "Oh, this will just be a short filler." Well, it was a filler alright, a filler-in-of-information. Yep, so here's lots of Information that will be important to remember. Sorry for the late update, AGAIN, but my internet is still off and on and all around. Please Review and tell me what you think. (Also, I know the Tailed-Beasts are a bit out of character here, but I'm not perfect and fixed it when I noticed.) (Also #2, I hope 8-tail's rhymes are okay, he's hard to write because he rhymes like B does.)**


	9. More New Friends and Almost Lost Friends

**Chapter 9 More New Friends and Almost Lost Friends**

* * *

 **Quote 9: "Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!" -The Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)**

* * *

 **Time Rule 9: Travelers can travel anytime from 1 to 100 years into the past.**

 **(Traveler cannot dictate this. It is random and unchangeable.)**

* * *

Itachi shivered with cold and fear, curling deeper into himself. He clutched his bleeding arm, forcing himself not to cry. Crying was for the weak. "Itachi-san? Itachi-san, please, let me look at it?" The boy cracked an eye, looking at the beautiful brunette angel with warm brown eyes. "Come on, Itachi-san, you need to have it looked at, or it could kill you."

Itachi closed his eyes again, hissing and wincing as another wave of pain rolled over him. "Okay," he whispered. "Okay. Okayokayokayokay—" He repeated it, over and over.

Rin frowned. "Itachi-san, please? It'll be alright, I promise, but I need to look at your wounds!" As she spoke her volume grew with her desperation. Itachi was smart and different, but he was still only four. No matter how advanced his mind may be, his instincts and his body were still very young and if this did not go well, he could be permanently damaged.

Itachi curled further into himself, feeling helpless and in pain. He considered Rin's argument, he really did, but after…after seeing that—that thing that Hinata had turned into, he simply didn't feel safe enough to let anything, even Rin, near him or his wounds. No, he definitely hadn't felt safe before and he was immensely glad for what the Hinata-turned-evil thing did, destroying the shinobi that had been hurting him, but she'd hurt him at the same time and she was different, and she was dangerous.

"Itachi—"Rin suddenly cut off, Itachi watched in fear as her face went from pleading, desperate, and worried to furious, full of pure rage and strength. "You had better back the fuck off, unless you want to meet another monster of the Leaf." The softness of her voice was gone and suddenly, Itachi saw a shinobi, a trained killer, ready to protect herself and those she deems precious without a single thought, disregarding her young age of roughly twelve. Itachi, following instinct, shifted, closer to Rin, closer to safety.

The air was silent, in the destroyed room, the warm air from the summer air above them blew through. As silent as it was, it was tense; a time bomb ticking, closer and closer to the explosion. Itachi lay, curled against her, eyes closed, silently waiting. Would they, the shinobi, deactivate the bomb, or would they cause the explosion?

* * *

Hinata stared up at the figure of a twelve-year-old girl, with frosty blue chakra everywhere except her stomach, where she had the deep cobalt of Matatabi. Beside her, was the taller figure of a broad teenage boy with amber chakra and Penny's coil of chakra in his stomach.

"Who are you?" she asked, "and why do you have Penny and Matatabi, like I do?"

The two exchanged looks, completely disregarding their fellow shinobi, gathered in a tense circle around the three. "Penny and Matatabi?" The girl asked.

Hinata nodded. "What's your name, Penny?" she asked innocently, looking at the teenage boy. "It's not really Penny, is it?"

The teenager chuckled, "My name's Killer-B, see? But I don't think you're talkin' ta me!"

Hinata giggled. "Well, you rhyme like him." Clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her feet. "What about you, Frost? You aren't Matatabi, but you are pretty!"

The girl put her hands on her hips, her chakra colored impressed. "Yugito." She answered. "What about you, Hellcat, what's your name?"

"Hinata!" She exclaimed. "I'm sorry for breaking your camp," she stated looking around. She could see the anger and tension in the shinobi around them. She frowned, anger beginning to boil in her. "I'm sorry," she said again, her soft sweet voice lowering darkly, "but you were hurting my friend. I promised to help him and protect him, and you guys hurt him, so I protected him. I never go back on my word," she snapped, "that's my nindo."

As she said the words, they rang with familiarity in her mind, as though she'd said it or thought it a thousand times before. It came out of her mouth as naturally as if she'd always felt that way, though in her memory, it was the first time Hinata had consciously thought it.

Yugito and Killer-B exchanged looks, before Killer-B turned to one of the shinobi. "Who is she and who is her friend?"

The shinobi shifted, nervously, Hinata could tell. "She is Hinata Hyuuga, her friend is the boy Itachi Uchiha. We have another girl but she's not important, we just took her because she was in the way. Raikage-sama said not to leave witnesses, but the girl is a student to Minato Namikaze." The shinobi talked a little fast and faltered annoyingly, but Hinata got the point.

Killer-B turned back to Yugito, whose chakra was mildly confused. "Notice how she pointed out our chakra?" Yugito asked. "But her byakugan isn't activated."

"Yes, it is," Hinata interrupted, then sighed, frowning. "Kinda, I mean. I activated it, but I broke it accidentally, I think."

Yugito's chakra was now much more confused and now brightly curious. "What do you mean, kid?"

Hinata stared at her, then smirked; the mischief on her face adorable when paired with her small chubby stature and porcelain complexion. "I'll tell you," she said, "if you take me back to my friends."

Yugito looked at Killer-B, who folded his arms a moment, contemplatively, before nodding. "Stand down," he ordered. "You," he pointed to the shinobi from before, "where are they holding the other two?"

The shinobi pointed to a large opening in the ground, with a circle of shinobi of its own. Hinata frowned, looking down in guilt. She could feel the fear rolling off Itachi, even from the 10-kilometer distance. I'm sorry, Itachi-kun, I didn't mean to hurt you.

Killer-B nodded. "Alright, everyone back to work, get this cleaned up. Next patrol, get on it, I don't want to get snuck up on, with this little hellcat was on the loose." Everyone slowly pulled away, getting the camp cleaned up after Hinata's chaos. Said young lady still staring at the ground in guilt, didn't notice that Yugito was guiding her toward her friends, until they were standing over the opening looking down at a very tense Rin and a terrified and battered Itachi.

Hinata blinked away tears as she stared at them. "Rin-chan, I'm sorry if I hurt you. Did I hurt you?"

Rin relaxed slightly. "No, Hinata-chan, you didn't hurt me." Her chakra was sad and Hinata knew why; she'd hurt him, and she'd scared him.

"Yugito-san, can you take me down to Itachi-kun?" She asked, lifting her arms to be held.

Yugito picked her up and jumped, easily landing beside the tense medic. Setting Hinata down, she nodded to Rin. "Yugito Nii, sorry for the trouble." She stated. "We have to do what we have to do."

Rin shrugged. Hinata crept over to Itachi, crouching beside him. "Itachi-kun? I'm sorry, are you okay? Did you let Rin-chan heal you? She knows how." Itachi didn't answer, in fact, he didn't move or react or give any sign he was alive. "Itachi-kun?" she asked, not liking the way his chakra flickered and flared.

Reaching out, she laid her hand on his head. "Rin-chan, he's hot," she muttered. "Why is he hot?"

Rin's chakra flashed dark with fear as she dropped to her knees beside Hinata. "What?!" She held her hand over the boy, but her anger flashed darker than her fear when she snapped her eyes in the direction of the foreign nin. "Take my fucking Limiters off, now!"

Hinata looked back at Yugito, then Killer-B, who'd come down to join them, further to the other shinobi, now down as well, though not too close. Killer-B nodded and Yugito did as she was told. Without so much as a word of thanks, Rin turned back to Itachi, her hands glowing green.

Hinata secretly awed at Rin, watched; her chakra was no longer frosty blue, but a beautiful calming teal. It made Hinata think about the ocean, soothing waves crashing against a soft sandy shore, a cool gentle breeze fluttering through. It baffled Hinata, because in all rights, she'd never been near the ocean, let alone know exactly what a calming day on the beach looked like.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, my lovelies. First, I'm sorry I'm suddenly inconsistent. The Fourth of July (our Independence Day, for anyone not American) was chaos. It was my dad's birthday and a lot, a LOT of people were here, so I could barely keep up with the housework, let alone fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed, please Review, and I promise I'll stay more consistent after this.**

 **Second: I am SO thankful for those that reviewed, some of you made me so dang happy. I'm glad to evoke so many emotions and I really hope I do Kishimoto-sensei justice. Please continue to review, they make my day and I'm more inclined to pop out something truly amazing if I know it's being read.**


	10. Cold Burns and Mountains of Silence

**Chapter 10 Cold Burns and Mountains of Silence**

* * *

 **Quote 10: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." -Sun Tzu, The Art of War**

* * *

 **Time Rule 10: Travelers can appear anywhere, upon their appearance to the past.**  
 **(Traveler cannot dictate this, either. It is also random. This is a highly dangerous aspect of Time Travel, due to being placed somewhere that is in the midst of a battle, or other such dangerous situations. It is advised that Travelers be prepared to fend for their lives.)**

* * *

Kurama growled and snapped, pacing restlessly in the overly small cell that was his prison within Kushina Uzumaki. How?! How, how, how?! The thought snapped and snarled in his mind, over and over. By all rights, virtually all that Hinata had somehow accomplished, in the past week or so, was impossible. She had accessed his chakra, not once, but twice, while he was busy settling himself back into the seal, getting used to the feeling of having absolutely NO freedom.

With another snarl, Kurama turned and stalked back to the other end of the sewer-type cell. "Holy crap, Kyuubi, what's got you so pissed off? Well, more pissed off than normal."

Kurama turned his fiery golden eyes to the red-haired jinchuriki that now stood before the golden gates. He regarded her for a moment, contemplating her calling him "Kyuubi". Well, it's been a long time since that, if nothing else, he thought. Deciding it wasn't worth it to argue with the insane spit-fire, Kurama turned away and renewed his pacing.

Think, Kurama, think! What facts are you missing? What needs to be answered?

"Are you ignoring me, datterbane?!" The red-head snapped, her anger flaring at the Fox's disregard of her.

Kurama stopped pacing again, to study her. "I am confused," he stated, gaining Kushina's curious attention, "why must you ask if I am ignoring you? It was fairly obvious, I'd thought, though perhaps it is expecting too much of you to understand such things as social cues."

Kushina's deep violet eyes widened, then narrowed. "You damn Fox!" she snapped. "What the hell's with the insults all the sudden, datterbane?" Then she paused, and a smirk appeared on her face. "Does it have anything to do with the missing Hyuga kid? Are you just upset you're too weak to keep her from being kidnapped, being stuck here, and all?"

Kurama stopped dead in his pacing. A low feral growl began to rumble in him building up his throat and falling out of his mouth at a thunderous roar. He turned on Kushina with wild golden eyes, leaping for her with a vengeance, the only thing saving the Uzumaki was the gates that separated them. It was easy to say, with all of her strength, pride, and stubbornness, Kushina Uzumaki wasn't ashamed to say, the normally indifferent Beast was quite terrifying when provoked. If she were any less of a shinobi, she'd honestly admit, she would have peed herself, then and there.

A smirk no longer playing on her features, Kushina watched the raging Beast. "In all honesty," she started carefully, "that's why I'm here. I'm not here to insult you, but to ask how you know her and why you care."

Kurama snarled at her, not bothering to show his sentiments via words.

Kushina sighed. "Listen, datterbane, I want to know because she wasn't the only one kidnapped. Two other children were kidnapped, as far as we know, and if they were all taken by the same person, it'd be nice to know. You care about the Hyuga girl, don't you?"

Kurama didn't answer, though he was no longer snarling; he simply stared at her. Taking this as conformation, Kushina continued. "If you can tell me where they are, I will make sure to rescue _all_ three kids."

Kurama's response was long in coming. "What makes you think I know where they are?"

Kushina cocked her head, like a curious bird. "Uh, because you flipped out back at the cave, and again not too long ago," Kushina paused, as though not certain how to phrase the next part. "When you did," she started softly, "I felt a fluctuation? in your chakra. Since you were so worried, that meant is wasn't you, which meant it was her, and if it was her and she can take your chakra, then you can contact her, which then means, you will know where she's at."

Kurama was silent again, for a long span of time. Then, quietly, scary quietly, for him, he answered. "Yes, I know where she is, and the two other children _are_ with her."

When he said no more, Kushina bit her lip and clamped down on her hands behind her back. She was dying to speak, but she was afraid that if she did, he would change his mind about helping.

"They are…being cared for, by Lightening." He stated at last. "They have done terrible things to the Uchiha child, but Hinata, the little Hyuga Kit, was able to persuade them otherwise. They will now be cared for nicely, however, that isn't to say Lightening won't attempt to use them against your village." The way he spoke was slow, with various intervals, as though he was thinking which words were best used and how much he would give away to Kushina.

Kushina was simply happy he gave a straight answer at all. With wide, hopeful eyes, Kushina bowed to Kurama, quite respectfully. "Thank you, Kyuubi. You're not such a big ass afterall."

Kurama snarled, but the kunoichi was already gone.

* * *

Kushina had been sitting in the corner of the Council Chamber for quite some time, strangely quiet for her normal flamboyant personality, as the remaining individuals there argued.

All current clan heads were present, the Civilian council was there, the Hokage and his council were there, the three Sannin were there, and of course, Kushina (as she didn't strictly belong to any of those groups, as she hadn't a clan anymore, unless her husband's counted, which she only partially did).

The current argument was about whether or not it would be a good idea to look for the missing children or focus on the war effort.

"Children go missing every day!" Homaru Mitokado snapped. "Why are these three any different?"

"Because," Tsunade snapped back, "two are the children of present Clan Heads and the third is the best medical student I've ever seen, even better than Shuzune Kato."

There was a flurry of murmurs. "Clan heirs?" Koharu Utatane asked. "I was under the impression the Hyuga was simply a random orphan you found."

Tsunade sat back a little, with her arms folded across her chest. "From what she told me, she's the daughter of Hiashi and Yumi Hyuga."

All heads turned to the man in mention, who looked thoroughly confused. "Why would she believe that?" he asked. "I have no children, at least not yet."

Tsunade shrugged. "That's what she believed, though…" she paused, throwing a glance at Orochimaru, who was silent, as always. "Everything about her is confusing and questionable. Her very existence is a cosmic anomaly."

"What does that mean?" Tsume Inuzuka growled. "Quite playing with words, Senju, and speak so we all understand."

Tsunade's eyes sharpened and she sat forward aggressively, leaning slightly on the table. "It means, Inuzuka-san, that she. Is. A fucking conundrum, that I don't understand!"

Orochimaru leaned forward ever so slightly, to lay a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Calm down," he murmured, "we will get nowhere if we get angry with each other."

Shikaku Nara sighed, rubbing his neck. "I agree. This is all troublesome, but it'll be more so if we can't even hold a decent discussion." There was a collective sigh and shaking of heads at the genius' wording, though everyone knew what he said was true.

"Very well," Hiruzen stood. "This meeting isn't about the oddities of the girl, but whether we should put forth the effort to find her. All in favor of looking for her, let's have a show of hands."

Of the twenty individuals present, an even ten raised their hand. Hiruzen sighed, _of course it would be a perfect half._ "All in favor of looking for the Uchiha heir." Surprisingly enough, sixteen raised their hand this time, including every single clan head. "And finally, the genin?" Only a total of three hands raised.

The council room was silent for a moment, before a very loud "DATTERBANE!" split every eardrum, causing the elite shinobi to jump in their seats, some even cussing at the sharpness of the noise (Tsume Inuzuka). In her silence, the entire room had forgotten Kushina Uzumaki's presence, as it was virtually impossible to be in a room with her and _not_ hear her.

"HELL FUCKIN' YEAH!" She exclaimed, dancing around like a child. "Enough of this stupid voting, 'atterbane! We're going to rescue those kids!"

"I'm sorry, Kushina, but the effort cannot be put into searching for and locating all three children." Hiruzen put in.

The wicked grin that appeared on the kunoichi's face sent a small shiver down more than one spine. "There can if they are all in the same place _and_ I know where that is."

Murmurs filled the room as Minato Namikaze addressed his wife. "How can you know where they are, Shina-chan?"

The vibrant red-head bounced up to him and planted a kiss on his lips, much to the indignation to the more cold-hearted of their company. "Because, Minato, the damn Fox knows the Hyuga girl and he agreed to tell me where they were if I promised to rescue her along with Tachi-kun and Rin-chan."

The entire room went dead silent.

Then, "You would trust that monster's word, have you taken leave of what little sense you had or is your heart too soft for you to see the truth?" Kushina's exuberant attitude vanished in a cold, yet feverish way.

"Excuse me?" Her tone was icy hot, cold enough to burn, the fact that her verbal tic was nonexistent in her short statement caused much more fear, for she was that controlled; controlled anger is so much more devastating than that of a fiery anger.

"Kushina—" Minato got no further with the low-toned name of his soulmate.

Her nickname was the Red-Hot Habanero, but those that had ever seen her truly furious were more likely to compare her to dry ice, than habanero peppers. She was quick, she was cold, she burned so deeply it left scars the size of mountains.

"I am insane," she whispered. "I carry a monster of deadly enmity. I have a temper as short as the timer on an explosive tag. And yet, you hold to the belief that I will not use the information I have to save my best friend's son, the monster's heart, and my husband's student, who is like a daughter to me. Then, you insult me. Tell me, Councilman Mitokado, what exactly is stopping me from causing Konoha harm, if not my soft heart?"

The silence in the room was a mountain.

"I have endured the unending pain and torment of being the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, yet even as I do so, I fight for those very idiots that think to ridicule me, never realizing that should I so decide, I could take away their joy, their freedom, even their very lives, if I wanted…all _without_ the help of the Kyuubi. So, I warn you, just this once, doubt my _heart_ ever again and you'll find out just exactly what its doing for your safety."

She stood back from the wide-eyed ex-shinobi and made for the door without a backward glance. "I'm going to the Land of Hot Springs to rescue the three children, those who wish to go or send a representative, I'll be at the gates in exactly an hour. I wait for no man."

The mountain was shattered with the slammed door, but even so, it was still a heart-murmuring burden.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there's chapter 11, right on schedule. I hope you like it, please review and tell me what you think. Before you ask, yes, Kushina is a bit OOC in this chapter, but I feel like the people that have really fiery tempers also have super scary cold tempers underneath, that are calm quiet angers that could tear apart nations. Also, regarding her freaking just because of what Mitokado said, her best friend is gone, they don't know if she was blown to bits, or lost in some alternate dimension (the Dimension Jumper thing will be explained when we get to it), her husband's student (who is like a daughter to her, as she said) was kidnapped, along with her best friend's son (who is like a nephew), and someone insanely important to the Kyuubi. She's stressed, worn thin, and WAY out of her depth. It'd make anyone a little OOC (refer to Kurama's attempt to attack Kushina because he's worn to his limit with Hinata's insane strangeness).**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned next Monday, for what happens next.**


	11. Frightened Fawns and A Kunoichi at Her L

**Chapter 11 Frightened Fawns and A Kunoichi at Her Limit**

* * *

 **Quote 11: "To have felt too much is to end in feeling nothing." -Dorothy Thompson**

* * *

 **Time Rule 11: It is impossible for Travelers to travel together.**  
 **(This Rule does not apply to Chakra Beasts, or their companions. Travelers can arrive in the same Time and near the same place, but it is rare.)**

* * *

Hinata sighed, then sighed again. The night was cold and dark, well she assumed it was dark, and Itachi was just beside her, while Rin was on the other side of him. The two shinobi who had Penny and Matatabi in them were sleeping across the fire they'd made and the whole camp was being normal, in regard to a war camp. Although Hinata was slightly confused as to how she knew how a normal war camp worked.

Truth be told, Hinata was slightly confused at a lot of things. Now that the chaos that had ensued since she'd woken in the hospital had died a little and she wasn't tired or on medication, she had a lot of time to think.

This brought her to her current situation. She had a lot of instincts that didn't make sense for the four-years she knew she had. Her byakugan was broken, that was a no-brainer. She had something, or things, inside her, as far as the colorful chakra circles were. The…she didn't know what to call them, but Matatabi, Kurama, and Penny. She didn't know what to call them, or how they were related to her, she didn't even know how she'd been with them and then suddenly not.

Hinata sighed for a third time, before glancing down at Itachi. He was sleeping soundly, and his chakra was undisturbed, though it still gathered around his wounds, where Rin had healed him. Reaching over, she placed a small palm on his forehead, then smiled when she felt no heat there.

Glancing across the fire; well, where she knew the fire was, at the two shinobi. They were peacefully sleeping. Whispering, Hinata leaned over Itachi. "Penny-san, Matatabi-san, can you not wake them up, please. We need to get Itachi-kun and Rin-chan back to their friends. Okay?"

There was a beat of silence and for a moment Hinata thought she'd made it all up and was simply losing her mind. Until the soft rumbling of a large cat purring filled her mind. **_Little Chickadee,_** Matatabi whispered in return, **_go south-east. Rely on Isobu's sense of direction. You will meet a lady with red-hair. She will have Kurama inside her, trust her, she will take you home._**

Hinata paused with her hand poised over Rin's shoulder, ready to shake her awake. "Isobu?" She asked.

 ** _Anchor._**

Hinata nodded and gently touching Rin's shoulder, she saw the teal chakra flare with alarm, but didn't feel Rin move a muscle under her little hand. Still, knowing she was awake, Hinata spoke softly, "Let's go, Rin-chan. They are sleeping."

The body was still, but her chakra was awake. Slowly and quietly she rose. She looked down at Itach, then felt his forehead. "Alright, Hinata-chan. Help me put Itachi on my back."

Hinata nodded and did so. Itachi woke, partway through, but remained silent as he clutched his arms, wrapped around Rin's shoulders. Hinata pressed a finder to her lips and gestured for them to follow.

Taking a leap and hoping it worked she asked in her mind, _can you start us off, Matatabi-san?_

There was no answer, but seemingly of its own accord, Hinata's head turned to the direction they needed to go in. Hinata began to walk as silently as she could, which was fearfully NOT silent.

 _Matatabi-san! Make me be quieter!_

The rumbling chuckle was fainter as they drew away from the two sleeping shinobi, but Hinata shivered as her own lavender chakra suddenly moved to her feet, cushioning her coils there.

 ** _I have moved your chakra for you, now all you need to do is keep it there. When you reach home, have someone teach you how to do it properly._**

Hinata nodded. _Thank you, Matatabi-san. Good-bye, I'm sorry I can't stay._

 ** _That's alright, Little Chick. I'll handle things from here._**

Afterward the silence was heavy and deafening as the three pushed on through the forested landscape, heading south-east in the darkest night that any of the three could remember, though Hinata couldn't help but feel like every night would be this dark from now on.

* * *

Hinata was tense enough to pee her pants, in fact, she didn't know what was _stopping_ her from peeing her pants. What she did know was that if Rin didn't return soon, the shinobi scouring the landscape outside their thicket were going to find them.

Itachi knelt beside her, his head and hair damp with perspiration and his hand hot, where it clutched Hinata's. Both were smothering their chakra to the greatest depths of their abilities. They barely breathed as they both watched with their special eyes as the chakra signatures circled around and around and around; like a scavenger bird over prey not yet dead but coming close.

Their grip tightened as one shinobi passed by closer than the rest. At this point, their hands were white with tension. He passed, but neither were relieved. Rin was still gone, they were still near enough to find them, and their combined years didn't even equal ten.

Daring a whisper, Itachi breathed into Hinata's ear. "It's getting worse."

Hinata's eyes involuntarily filled with tears as she pressed closer to Itachi's side, letting go of his hand in favor of wrapping her arm around his waist, using her opposite hand to grab that one that hadn't return the gesture. She pressed his head to her shoulder, scared beyond reason at how hot he was.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Close your eyes, don't use the red ones anymore."

Itachi nodded and his red chakra returned to the pit of his stomach, as far as Hinata could see. He was far from relaxed though, as they continued to hold each other. This was not good for him, Hinata knew, and it made her furious that these adults were hunting them, two children, like a wolf would hunt a pair of fawns.

"We're not animals," she accidentally murmured aloud, not guilty in the least at the tears that had broken loose and flowed down her cheeks.

Itachi looked up at her, then nodded after a moment, reaching the same conclusion she had. "But maybe they are." He whispered back.

Hinata didn't answer. She simply pulled him closer and buried her head in his hair, it was soft and long, and even though she didn't know what color it was, she still thought it was pretty. Itachi easily returned the embrace, grateful for what little comfort he could find in his tense fevered state.

* * *

Rin clutched her side, panting. Her vision blurred, and her blood pounded in her ears like a thousand hooves. She had practically no chakra and she no longer had any doubt that the wound she had received from the damn Sand ANBU, she just _happened_ to run into, was poisoned.

"Fuck this!" She snapped to herself. "Fuck all of it! Fuck the war! Fuck Konoha! FUCK BEING A FUCKING SHINOBI!"

She hadn't _really_ meant to scream it, but in the end, she was quite stressed and needed to get it out.

"Rin! Are you alright?"

Despite being immensely glad to hear her broody teammate, Rin was also in a terrible mood. "NO!" she spun around to face Kakashi, where his was crouched in a tree about six feet from her. "No, I'm not fucking alright! I'm twelve!" she snapped. "I'm twelve years old and I'm getting attacked by psychopathic masked men with a penchant for poison! I haven't even fucking hit puberty yet and had to hide two four-year-olds in a thicket like a couple of fawn as I lead them on a merry fucking hunt, like a mama deer to a bunch of winter-starved wolves!"

She cut off as she ran out of breath, her head feeling too light and far away. She stumbled to her knees, clutching her side still, her other hand holding the bark of the tree until her knuckles were white.

"Am I alright?" She asked in a whisper, her eyes misted with hot-tears. "Am I alright? Am I alright?"

A soft hand touched her shoulder. "Of course, you are, Rin-chan," the gentle voice of her mentor said into her ear. "You have shown great strength, now why don't you rest, and let the adults handle it."

Rin looked up into his cerulean blues and the dam broke. She crumbled into his hold sobbing, clutching the pockets of his chunin flak jacket like a life-line. He wrapped his arms around her, shushing her gently as he rubbed her back comfortingly. "We'll handle it now, Rin-chan. You'll be fine."

Rin nodded. "They're in a thicket about fifty kilometers to the east," she murmured, her voice surprisingly clear despite her shivers and the sobs from before. "Lightning shinobi are everywhere, and Sand knows I'm in the area."

Minato nodded, giving her a tight squeeze. "Kakashi, Obito, Yumi-san, the three of you are to escort Rin back to Konoha, as soon as the poison is out of her system." The three nodded.

He then looked into the violet eyes of his wife. "Ready for chaos?"

She smirked, sharing a sadistic look with Hizashi. "Oh, yeah. I'm ready to break some heads."

The group of them consisted of Kushina, Minato, Yumi Hyuga, Fugaku, Shisui, an Inuzuka sent by Tsume, an Akamichi sent by Choza, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.

They started out in the designated direction. "Alright, spread out in pairs of two," Minato instructed. "Cause whatever kind of chaos you want. Your goal is to get as many shinobi on your tail as possible. Kushina, you and I are going to track down those kids. Ask you tenant for an exact location and we'll head there."

The others nodded and pared off; Kushina and Minato, Fugaku, Shisui, and the Akamichi, the Inuzuka with Jiraiya, and Orochimaru and Tsunade.

They jumped away spreading out like a hoard of insects. The hunt was on and there was more than one individual in the various groups itching for some vengeance for the stress caused to everyone involved in the situation.

* * *

 **A/N: Here's the next chapter, I hoped you enjoyed it. I know Rin just flips her shit, but honestly, she's a twelve-year-old girl probably starting puberty and she's in the middle of a war trying to take care of two really weird four-year-olds. I don't care about being raised in a shinobi community, she was bound to loose her shit at some point. I mean, kidnapping, torture, escape, fighting someone double your age, being poisoned, lost, _in charge_. Yeah, she reached her limit and freaked out. She'll be okay after a little R&R and with some TLC from her team.**

 **Regarding the quote: When I found it, it reminded me so much of Canon Kakashi and Canon Itachi it was freaking ridiculous. It felt so fitting, especially with Rin's reaction to all the stress.**


	12. Chaos and…Well, Chaos and…Questions

**Chapter 12 Chaos and…Well, chaos and…Questions**

* * *

 **Quote 12: "Chaos was the law of nature; Order is the creation of the Gods." -Aprille Barlow**

* * *

 **Time Rule 12: It is ill-advised for Travelers to Travel through Time too close together.**  
 **(The reWeaving is stressful for the Universe and can cause damage to the Dimensions created in the reWeaving. If the Universe does not pay enough attention to a Dimension, due to the sudden Travel of another Traveler, the Dimension can be unstable and collapse, effectively trapping the Traveler in Gray Mist.)**

* * *

Orochimaru watched in sadistic satisfaction as the light in the Lightening Shinobi's eyes slowly faded as one of his favorite snakes squeezed the life out of him. He barely spared a glance her way, when Tsunade yelled and the ground shook, felling a few trees in the area.

Despite being told that Kushina and Minato would find the kids, the Snake Sannin and the Slug Princess were determined to get the little white-eyed angel, that both knew had accidentally saved Orochimaru. Thus, when they heard a terrified scream, followed by shouts and curses, they spun in that direction and headed there as fast as they could, with was rather fast, considering they were Sannin.

Orochimaru flashed into the clearing and faster than most eyes could see, snatched up the two four-year-olds, leaping into the air just as Tsunade arrived, slamming her fist into he ground with a fierce thunderous earthquake. Leaving her to take care of the surrounding shinobi, the Snake Sannin jumped into the nearest tree and set out for the meeting place they'd agreed upon before running into Rin.

"Orochimaru-san," Hinata's timid voice washed over him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck; her voice sounded tired and her movements slow. "Thank you for saving us, Orochimaru-san—" She paused, a shiver running through her as she reached for the little boy in Orochimaru's other arm. "He's sick," she whispered, "he's hot and his red eyes make his head hurt."

Orochimaru frowned, his violet chakra darkening with displeasure. "Sleep, Angel," Orochimaru murmured, "You are safe now, we'll take care of you."

She nodded slowly, one arm wrapped around his neck, the other clutching tightly to Itachi's hand. Itachi hadn't moved nor said a word since Orochimaru had found them.

* * *

Rin glared at the fire as Yumi Hyuga, the Hyuga Matriarch, tended to her wound. Kakashi sat across the fire, silent as a stone. Obito sat beside Rin, also silent, but showing enough worry to annoy anyone. No one cared to speak, for fear of enduring Rin's wrath, as her emotions were still on overdrive.

"We will stay here for the rest of the night," Yumi murmured softly. "If they find the children tonight, they will meet us here. Bed down. Hatake-san, take first watch."

They moved into action quietly, all save Rin, who remained where she was, glaring at the flames as though, if she tried hard enough, she could submit them to her will. Her companions almost wished they would, if only so she'd stop glaring when they did.

All fell silent again, the rustling of sleeping bags stopped. The night was dark, but warm. Little moved, saved the natural forest around them. Silently, a snake slithered into their midst, as silent as a shadow. It paused, taking in the traps, barriers, and people, before stepping up to the fire and sitting on a log to Rin's right.

It took the girl a full minute to notice he was there and when she did, she leapt back with a curse of surprise, a kunai already in her hand as she fell into a defensive stance, her curse waking Obito and Yumi and drawing Kakashi's attention.

"Easssy there, Rin-chan," Orochimaru hissed in a condescending tone. "I've brought you a little pressssent."

Rin registered the children in his arms and automatically dropped to kneel beside him. She touched Itachi's flushed face. "He's burning up, Yumi-sama. He needs to be healed and the infection drawn out." Yumi nodded, taking the Uchiha boy from the Snake Sannin. Rin's eyes then turned to Hinata, who slept peacefully in the man's arms.

Sensing nothing wrong with her, Rin moved to take her. Hinata's arms tightened around Orochimaru's neck and he hissed softly, warning Rin away. "Ssshe isss fine. Leave her." He hissed.

Rin nodded, backing off, before dropping beside Yumi, who was working fast to heal the ill boy. "His fever is dangerously high," she muttered, "It could damage his eyes. The wound on his leg is infected, if we don't get the infection out and heal it right, he could use the use of it, or at the most be unable to become a shinobi. The wound on his head isn't so bad, as the fever is keeping it clean. However, something is off with his eyes. I've never tended someone with an activated sharingan, let alone someone so young, so I do not know if it is normal or not. I'd feel a lot better if Tsuande-sama were to help."

"What do you need my help for?!" A loud voice suddenly asked from the trees. The entire camp flinched at the sudden sound and Orochimaru hissed.

"Shut up, Senju. You'll wake them."

She shrugged. "Damn, the kid doesn't look too good." She leapt out of the tree she was in, to lean over Itachi. "Mm, Oro, set the kid down and go find Fugaku. Kakashi-kun, run as fast as you can back to Konoha and tell the hospital to have an operating room and help ready as soon as I arrive. Rin-chan, if that wound isn't bothering you, go along. I want all of Itachi-chan's records ready and waiting when I get there. Have someone with his same blood-type standing by. Obito-kun, you're going too. You head to the Hokage's office and let Hiruzen-sensei know about everything you know of, tell him I'll come give my report as soon as I'm done. Go."

Without question, the three leapt into the trees and disappeared. Orochimaru was already gone, in search of the Uchiha Patriarch…wherever he'd gone off too.

* * *

 _"She looks alarmingly familiar."_

 _"She can't be!"_

 _"Who is she, Sensei?"_

 _"She looks a shit-ton like you, Sasuke-san."_

 _"Um, Sasuke-kun, what's the matter?"_

 _"She's supposed to be dead."_

 _"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"_

 _"Just that! She's supposed to be dead! She died over eleven years ago."_

 _"She doesn't look very dead to me."_

 _*Sigh* "No, of course she doesn't. Why don't you explain, Sasuke?"_

 _"It is all very simple, Kakashi-sensei. My mother was murdered along with the rest of my family, by my brother. She is_ supposed _to be dead…and older."_

 _…_

 _"Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Why? Because, first, Hinata disappears without a trace, now Mikoto Uchiha is back from the dead."_

 _"Psh. Whatever. It's just another damn Edo Tensei. Just seal her away and be done with it."_

 _"Um…actually, Sasuke-kun…um…there's no way it could be an Edo Tensei."_

 _…_

 _"Why do you say that, Sakura-chan?"_

 _"Um, because she's pregnant, Sensei."_

 _…_

 _"Well, Sasuke, it looks to me as though you have help reviving your clan."_

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I know my updates have been off and now I'm updating at an odd time, and I'm sorry for that, but my internet has been acting really strange. So, I couldn't update Monady and I don't know if I'll be able to update next Monday, so I'm updating when I can. I hope you like it, please review and tell me what you think...also, :) I know I'm slightly evil sometimes, but I'd like you all to keep in mind that the world Hinata is in currently, is an alternate Dimension. Anything is possible. Another also, because I accidentally made the prime Canon bad-guys good, there are going to be a few OC bad-guys.**


	13. Who is the Enemy and Who is the Friend

**Chapter 13 Who is the Enemy and Who is the Friend**

* * *

 **Quote 13: "The best way to destroy and enemy is to make him a friend." -Abraham Lincoln**

* * *

 **Time Rule 13: Travelers can rely on the past, from their Dimension for when they arrive in the past.  
(Other than this small reliance, hindsight is a very vague guide.)**

* * *

 **A/N: First things first, I am super sorry for the long wait. I try to stick to updating at least once a week, but my schedule changed and then I was body slammed with Writer's Block. I was stuck, didn't know where my plot was going, felt like I couldn't do much with Hinata being only three...But, I fixed it. I am back on and should update regularly again...hopefully.**

 **Second, doesn't this quote just say everything there is to say about Canon Naruto? It's like he took this quote and embodied it, applied it to his life from the very depths of his soul. I couldn't not use it, after I found it.**

 **Third, there is going to be a time-jump after this chapter. This chapter will go into Hinata's first impression of the Hiashi Hyuga of _this_ dimension and where her base instincts lie. Then, there'll be a jump in time and all the many things I would leave hanging if I stopped right now are going to blow up in poor Hina-chan's face, because I'm a terribly mean author.**

 **Please enjoy. Review and tell me what you think. Sorry for the long author's note.**

 **MaNY1001**

* * *

Hinata glared at the tall man who stood above her, staring down with a cold and steely presence. This was _NOT_ her Otou-san. She didn't know who he was, or why he was different, but something told her, he was not to be trusted.

"Well?" He asked, snidely. "Have you a name, _child_?"

Her frown deepened. He said "child" like she was a gross bug he found by accident on his floor. "Yes, I have a name," she snapped back, "but you didn't ask for it, so I won't give it!"

His pale lavender chakra, not too different from Hinata's darkened with fury. This didn't scare her thought, Hinata could see Orochimaru just a little way away, watching. If he was going to be mean to her, Orochimaru would stop him.

"Very well. What is your name?" Hinata was beginning to hate the sound of his voice.

"Hinata." She stated. "Hinata Hyuga, daughter of Hiashi Hyuga…" she paused. "They say that's you, but you are _NOT_ my Otou-san."

The man's chakra flashed surprised, but it did not show in his voice. "That is me." He stated evenly. "Indeed, I have never seen you before, nor have I been married long enough to have a four-year-old child."

Hinata shrugged. "Well, if that's all, then I'm leaving." She turned to go, but his large hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Unfortunately, you have been placed in my care. As such, I am responsible for you." Hinata looked over her shoulder at him, very much _not_ liking the color of him.

"What does that mean?" She asked, innocently. That color awakened an odd fear in her, as though she knew what it meant, but couldn't remember.

"It means, you are a member of this clan. You are an orphan, of the Branch family. You will be treated as such."

At those words, Hinata had a short but terrifying vision of a young boy with an odd sign on his forehead cry out in pain, clutching his head. He gasped and screamed, begging for it to stop.

Fear shot through Hinata and she jerked away from him. "No!" She didn't know what the vision meant, she did know if it was somehow a memory, because that's what is looked like, or if it was instinct, warning against this man. She had learned long ago to follow warning and instincts.

Long ago? She frowned. _I thought I was only four?_

She pushed away the thought, leveling the man before her with a dark look. "I don't belong to you." She put her hands on her hips and did her best "fearless" impression. "It is against the law to own people." She smirked. "Besides, my byakugan is broken, so the Hyuga won't want me anyway."

She had to actively refrain from curling her lip in distaste at the interest his color showed. "Broken?" he asked, bending and clutching her arms. "How is it broken?"

Hinata's fear suddenly escalated to an uncontainable height. Struggling against his hold, she whispered, "It doesn't matter, I don't belong to you."

His laugh was low and dark, like his chakra. "Oh, little Bird, but you do."

Hinata gasped and did the only thing she could think of to protect herself. She screamed for the closest thing that she knew was safe. "Oro-san! Oro-san, he's scaring me!"

The man jerked away from Hinata, and his chakra flared. It didn't matter to Hinata if Orochimaru came or not, because as soon as the man released her, she bolted. Running for where she knew the door was, she threw herself outside. With an age old instinctual know of where everything was, that terrified but helped Hinata, she ran from the Hyuga Estates.

In a flight for safety, she fled to the one place that, deep in her heart, she knew would always, _always_ , be safe.

* * *

The third Hokage was nearly ready to tear what little hair he had left out of his head. He had been listening to the Council for nearly three hours now, and while Danzo had been a great help in convincing the others to NOT punish Rin Nohara's outburst, there had been no reprieve for the mystery of the Hyuga child.

Hiruzen stepped into his office and was instantly greeted by an ANBU in a snake mask. He frowned when the ANBU didn't say anything, simply gesturing toward the Hokage's desk.

Carefully, he moved toward his desk, fitfully surprised to find the small form of the child-anomaly curled in sleep under the desk. "Why?" He asked the ANBU.

"He frightened her."

"How?"

" _It means, you are a member of this clan. You are an orphan, of the Branch family. You will be treated as such,_ " he quoted. "She showed signs of fear after those words, it grew from there."

Hiruzen rubbed his forehead as an ache appeared there. "Take her back. Tell Hizashi-sama to be gentle." The ANBU was still, making no move to follow the command. "Snake," Hiruzen started, warningly, "you know as well as any that is where she belongs. There is no disputing with the Hyuga."

The ANBU remained still for a long moment, before carefully moving to the child. He was not surprised in the least, when the child woke as soon as he touched her. Hiruzen, however, was rather surprised, not even new chunin woke that easily.

"Come, little Angel." The child frowned, but easily slipped into the ANBU's arms, complete and utter trust written on her pale face.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly. The ANBU sighed, glancing to Hiruzen. The child looked back and forth, between the two, a frown growing on her face.

"You are going to the Hyuga," Hiruzen answered, calmly. "There is where you belong, and there you must go."

The Hokage watched carefully, the little girl's face as it contorted into a mixture of fear, displeasure, and anger. They were all rather heavy and odd emotions to see on the face of a child but having spent the last few days in the presence of Shisui Uchiha, whenever checking in on the ill, young Uchiha heir, Hiruzen wasn't entirely unused to the expressions.

"Take her back," he ordered, looking at both the child and the ANBU with a hard eye. Many emotions flashed across the child's face, but she wrapped her arms around the ANBU's neck.

"I will go," she muttered, "but, you will always keep me safe, right Oro?"

Surprise and confusion flared up in the Hokage. _How could she possibly have known it was him?!_ The ANBU, Orochimaru, was unsurprised.

"Of course. If you need me, little Angel, just tell Ryu-kun, he'll always be there." Hiruzen frowned, studying the old pair intently, as the child gently fiddled with the hem of her long sleeve.

She nodded carefully, before glancing at the Hokage. "Alright, Hokage-sama, I am sorry I ran away."

Orochimaru, still dressed in the ANBU uniform, his snake mask carefully in place, nodded to Hiruzen, before leaping out the window. Something told the Hokage, he wasn't certain what, that Hinata Hyuga wasn't anything like what she seemed and would become something great and possibly terrible, in the future.


	14. In Time

**Chapter 14 In Time**

* * *

 **Quote 14: "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." -Warren Buffett**

* * *

 **Time Rule 14: The Dimension that the Traveler leaves, will continue as if no travel happened, with only one exception.  
(This meaning, it will continue to be Woven with the sole exception of the people and creatures there will remember the Traveler, but the Traveler will simply disappear, and none will know of where they are or what happened.)**

* * *

 **A/N: I am sorry it is taking so long to update. My computer broke and I don't have another immediately at hand. This may confuse you a bit, as the time jump is rather large, but any unanswered questions from the first part _WILL_ be addressed...eventually. Enjoy and please review.**

* * *

Hinata Hyuga was in a positively murderous mood. _I'm thirteen, THIRTEEN! I'm not a genin anymore! I have more field experience than anyone except Itachi, who wasn't involved in the war at its height! Why must I guard him like a minimum wage genin?!_

Hinata withheld a murderous glare, as it wasn't actually Neji's fault she had to guard him, though he certainly didn't help when they decided who the guard would be.

The scrawny kid was her clan heir and there wasn't a thing she could do, but listen to his _every_ command, lest she bring the wrath of Hiashi Hyuga upon her head. It wasn't that Hinata was particularly afraid of said individual, as she used to be, but his did have rather _persuasive_ methods that general involved a good deal of pain and trouble seeing afterward. Hinata could see virtually all of Konoha, due to the amount of chakra residue left everywhere, however, after being punished her eyes were less likely to pick up fainter signatures.

"Hinata-chan."

"Yes, Neji-sama?" she answered in a kind tone. He may never know how much she truly despised him, as she was much to kind at heart to dislike him enough to show it. Oro-sensei had told her many times she was way too soft, but Hinata didn't want to change that part of herself. She'd met too many shinobi that were heartless, and she wanted none of that.

Though, it had to be admitted that Neji was spoiled. He was a genius, just as his younger sister Hanabi, just as Hinata herself was. To him, everything was easy, so he _easily_ got anything and everything he wanted.

"Hinata-chan, I wish to buy sunflowers for Hanabi, acquire them for me." Hinata glanced across the street to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, resisting the urge to growl. Hana Inuzuka, Izumi Uchiha, and Kagami Nara had just passed the shop. The three, the oddest set of best friends Konoha had seen yet, tended to tease Hinata for whatever it was that first came to mind, for reasons unknown to any but themselves. Hinata knew not to listen to them, though they were annoying at the best of times. She also knew that Neji, now proven as the devil incarnate, knew all of this.

With a sigh, heavy with exasperation, Hinata did as told. She wished she was could be at Training Grounds 44 right now, knocking and getting knocked around with Itachi. The two were the best of friends but had to keep it a secret due to intense clan rivalry.

 _Think happy thoughts, Hina,_ she thought to herself. _You get to spend next week guarding Hokage Namikaze, that's a whole week without the Devil's spawn and his demon sister._

"Well, if it isn't the white-eyed wonder!"

"Don't trip, Paste Face!"

"Does it smell like reptiles, to you?"

Hinata stifled a sigh and the urge to roll her eyes, before addressing the girls. "Good morning, Inuzuka-san. Good morning, Uchiha-san. Good morning, Nara-san."

The bell above the door trilled cheerfully as Hinata entered the shop. "Good morning, Ino-chan," Hinata greeted softly.

The blonde six-year-old at the counter looked up. "Oh, hello, Hinata-senpai. Does Neji-kun want flowers for Hanabi-chan again?" The little girl's chakra, as small and underdeveloped as it was, flared with emotion at the mention of the Hyuga boy.

Hinata smiled, indulgingly. "Yes, sunflowers, as usual." Neji was in the Academy, a year above Ino, who'd just started, but he was the heart-throb of every little girl. Hanabi was the most desired companion of the newest group of shinobi-in-training, though the little demon-in-human-skin loved to keep everyone on their toes by playing her heartless games, such as, Leave-The-Random-Child-Out or Let's-Tease-This-Child-Simply-Because-I-Can-Get-Away-With-It or See-How-Many-Children-I-Can-Get-Into-Trouble-By-Doing-Something-And-Making-Them-Copy-Me.

The small bundle of sunflowers was purchased, with the little Yamanaka blushing shyly the entire time. Hinata was as gentle and kind to her as she was to any, indulgent on the girl's fantasies.

Stepping out of the shop, Hinata felt a flare of potent anger toward her charge, as he wasn't in his original place and was currently attempting to get himself into trouble, to thus get Hinata into trouble.

 _Kura-kun, would you be so kind as to stop the lovely Neji, he's headed your way._ Hinata smirked as her far-seeing eyes watched as the Tailed-Beast, as that was what she now knew it was, gently nudged his little jinchuriki into Neji's path, sending them both sprawling. _Thank you, kindly._ She received only a grunt of acknowledgement.

Leaping to the rooftops, Hinata caught up with her clan heir easily. "Good morning, Naru-chan, how are you this morning?" The adorable little boy's expanse of chakra became vibrant with much the same emotion as Ino's had, as he stammered over his words, attempting to return Hinata's good morning.

Hinata chuckled, softly, as she was well aware she was the only one Naruto treated this way. Normally, he was bright, bold, careless, and insanely loud for the sharp-eared ninja society. He was everything his late mother had been, except with Hinata. She enjoyed it, as, in her dreams, when she was Naruto's age, that was how she'd been.

"Neji-sama, I have the flowers, as requested." She stated her words evenly, though with the smallest hint of a warning in her unique pearl eyes. "Next time, please wait until I have returned to leave."

Neji grumbled, "Stupid bitch, can't even lose her," though Hinata was under the impression it wasn't meant to be loud enough to hear. "Whatever," he snapped, louder, "let's go home, I'm sick of spending time with you."

 _The feeling's mutual, punk,_ she thought. Dropping to the street, handing Neji the flowers. He took them gently, as though they were as fragile as glass. _Well, at least the little wolf-in-human-skin cares about something in this world._

* * *

"Good afternoon, Hime-chan."

Hinata smiled as the red-rimmed chakra signature dropped to her side. "Afternoon, Tachi-kun. Was your morning as torturous as mine?"

The Uchiha's chakra flashed with amusement as he shook his head. "No, it was relatively nice. Otou-san was in a foul mood this morning, as he usually is this time of year, but nothing for that." Hinata shrugged, leaning a shoulder on her companion, transferring a large amount of chakra from herself to him, as she did so. "You don't have to do that, Hime-chan. I can manage."

Hinata shrugged, shifting so her back was leaning against his side and her legs hung off the large branch they were perched on. "I know, but it makes me feel better knowing you have so much at your disposal. You can do so much more with it. How are your eyes today?"

Itachi shrugged, playing with the strands of Hinata's long hair. "As they always are, I suppose. I nearly set Shisui on fire yesterday, for sneaking up on me."

Hinata giggled in such a young and feminine way, as she was only able to with a select few. "Shisui-kun means well, Tachi. He is an isolated genius, like we are, except he doesn't have a best friend, like we do."

Itachi was silent for a moment, his chakra indecisive but Hinata could read a flicker of thought. He had an idea but didn't know if Hinata would like it. "Out with it," she commanded.

His chakra flared with surprise, then adoration. "What if we started inviting him to our training sessions, here?"

Hinata's attention on his chakra sharpened. "If you want to." She stated it with a very slow and deliberate tone.

Itachi flared with embarrassment and Hinata imagined his cheeks were red. "It's as you said, he doesn't have very many friends. I understand, that may be why he seeks attention from me. It would do us good, to train with someone aside from the Sannin and each other. Perhaps Kakashi-senpai would not mind as well."

Hinata thought about this, noting the hopeful feeling in Itachi's chakra. He knew she used it to sense people's intentions and he knew, she knew, that he knew. _It would seem, Itachi wants to expand our circle of friends._ She thought about it, wondering why he suddenly wanted to. It was almost like he was planning something.

 _Well, Itachi's always planning something. You're looking too much into this, Hina._ With a sigh, she nodded. "Alright, but Shisui first. Then the others, slowly. We don't want Anko-senpai to find out we're using Training Grounds 44 as a giant boxing-ring for our own purposes."

He shrugged, "then she can join us as well."

Hinata smirked at his nonchalant attitude. "Since when did you become so social, Itachi Uchiha?"

He shrugged again but didn't answer. _Oh, he **is**_ _planning something. How could he not._

Hinata didn't move on this realization, as her chakra sensing eyes caught the sight of something. Sitting up straight, she peered into the distance, the greatest she could see being nearly fifty kilometers, when straining. Pushing through all the chakra of the training ground, through Konoha, and focused on Main Street. Itachi did not ask, simply sat up himself and focused his own sharp eyes.

"Come on," Hinata stood. "Let's see what he's brought before the Hokage gets to him."

Itachi's chakra colored amused. "I am going to assume you are talking about Orochimaru-sama?"

Hinata chuckled, "of course."

They leapt up and headed out of the deadly training grounds, side-by-side.


End file.
